A Way Out
by katsukiskitten
Summary: [KATSUKI BAKUGOU x OC] [M for language/sexual content] Katsuki Bakugou—the hotheaded, badass, number 2 hero with his own agency at just 20 years old, meets Kuroshi Reiko—an outspoken villain who is hell-bent on turning her life around to become a hero. Will she be able to break down the high walls around his heart and become a hero? Will her past even let her get the chance?
1. 00: Prologue

𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚡𝚑𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚙  
𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚎

_𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚝_ \- **𝚁𝚞𝚙𝚒 𝙺𝚊𝚞𝚛 **

00

* * *

"They'll never see us coming." My father remarked menacingly

He was hunched over a stack of blueprints at his desk. The cold, grayish glow of the fluorescent lamp beside him reflected off of his black framed glasses. He looks so sickeningly pleased with himself, admiring his own "genius"

I rolled my eyes in disgust.

_Another pointless attack. Another fight that, whether we win or lose, __won't change anything_.

"Can you get to the part where you tell me why you called me over here?" I asked

He let out a heavy sigh as he stood up. I looked back down at my phone almost instantly once I recognized the stern expression on his face.

_Here we go again with this goddamn speech._

"You know," He began "When you first got here, I used to think you'd come around by now and start taking your place in this family seriously."

"Last time I checked—I've done everything you've asked me to. So, whats the problem?"

"Theres no _fire_ in you, Reiko-chan. You're just doing things to do them. You have no passion, no drive. Sometimes I don't even think you enjoy being a villain."

I chuckled

"Oh, you care about what I '_enjoy_' now?" I asked sarcastically "Thats so kind of you, dad."

I vaguely saw what was coming, but it didn't stop me from jumping back in shock as I felt a sharp bolt of electricity pierce my shoulder. My hand reflexively grasped it. The sensation was so familiar that I wasn't even sure if I was in pain or just surprised.

"_Enough_." He spat "Accept your fate. You and your brother will take over as heads of this family someday soon—and you'll do it with pride. Your mother filled your head with those silly fucking ideas and ruined everything you could have been. She ruined you."

"Fuck you."

He grabbed me by my collar, sending my phone flying.

"Your mother is _dead_. Do you understand that? She was weak. We saved you from that wretched lifestyle she lived the day she met her maker. Be grateful." He hissed "You're. a. villain."

He let me go, I stumbled backwards towards the door and groped around for my phone. My heart was racing and my blood boiled with rage. I had gotten so used to being angry and not being able to do anything about it for so long... that I really had no desire to fight my dad anymore.

I just wanted to get out. To get away... to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Not to walk this bullshit predetermined path that I don't understand.

_I don't want to be a villain._

_I don't know if I even want to be a hero._

_I don't know what I want._

"We leave at midnight." He added "Don't be late"

* * *

I spent the next couple of hours sprawled out on my living room floor, thinking. This is not at all what I thought my life would look like at 20. Between the peeling paint on my apartment walls and the 3 empty wine bottles on my coffee table, this is a pretty sad picture.

_What the hell do I want?_

* * *

"You're gonna make us late again, dumbass."

"Wh...What?" I groaned

I must've fallen asleep—I opened my eyes. I could see that my two brothers had made themselves right at home. I saw Reiji going for my fridge.

"Hey—don't go in there! Who said you two could just let yourselves in?"

"You did when you left your front door unlocked."

"Shut up, Ichiro." I groaned

"We've gotta go! Get uuup!" My little brother, Reiji chimed in from my kitchen, a box of Pocky in hand.

Ichiro and Reiji are my dads clones. I mean, I can't blame my little brother, Reiji. He's been with my dad his whole life. He doesn't know anything else. He's only 13, but I still have hope for him to change...

Ichiro is a different story.

When we were kids, Ichiro, my older brother, was this wide-eyed little kid who just wanted to help everyone. His quirk didn't appear until he was 10, which might be considered late to some. Even so, I looked up to him—literally. He was so tall, he still is. We were inseparable, we promised to always protect each other. Then... when I was taken away to live with my mother, something in him snapped.

He's so grown up now, it still boggles my mind to look at him and see a young man, but when I look into his eyes: theres nothing there. They're cold and empty like our dad's. I don't think he's said a nice word to me in 5 years. I've tried everything... I just don't think our relationship will ever be the same.

"I don't wanna go." I whined

"You're fucking hopeless." Ichiro replied, coldly "Are you _trying_ to end up like mom?"

"_Onii-chan_—" Reiji warned

"This coming from the guy with the fresh 3rd degree burns from letting Todoroki get under his skin last week?" I laughed "But _I'm_ the hopeless one? Okay."

His jaw tightened and he lunged at me.

_Guess I hit a nerve. ️_

"What the fuck did you just—"

"STOP!" Reiji yelled

Reiji doesn't raise his voice often, so it caught us both off guard. We looked looked back at him in bewilderment.

"Stop it. Let's go..." He huffed, heading for the door

* * *

My dad showed up at the rendezvous point with about 5 others from his organization of small-time villians and petty thieves. To be honest, I wasn't paying attention when my father first explained what we were doing... and I also wasn't paying attention when he re-explained it again to us as a group.

What I'm saying is: I have no idea whats going on or where we're going. I'm just following along. I did show up though.

_So thats, like, a plus I guess?_

Under the cover of night, we moved in silence like a well-oiled machine. Our shadows danced in alley-ways and on the sides of buildings... but it wasn't long before I felt something. A presence. Someone was waiting for us.

I stopped dead in my tracks. We all scattered. I jumped back, using the buildings as springboards to propel myself upward, stopping once I landed on a ledge. I sat crouched down there, keeping my eyes peeled. There was a sudden, deafening explosion. The space where I was seconds ago was filled with orange and gold flames.

_...An explosion quirk?_

* * *

**postscript!**

Hi! So, I have no specific schedule for chapters—posting will probably be all over the place, but I hope someone sees this story and enjoys it! Thanks for reading n_n


	2. 01: Glow

𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗

𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜.

𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚝.

-𝚁𝚘𝚋𝚒𝚗 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖𝚜

01

* * *

A figure emerged from the plumes of gray and black smoke—he had a mess of pale, blonde spikes and a devilish grin.

I tilted my head.

_...Who is that?_

A hero, no doubt. His energy was bordering on intimidating. I liked it—it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My heart began to race with excitement and anticipation. I grinned back at him and activated my quirk.

_I've been craving a good fight for a while. __This guy might actually give me what I want._

"A battle, so early in the evening?" I remarked "I guess the heroes are always a step ahead, huh?"

"SHUTUP!" He yelled

I laughed

"Gotcha." I made my hand into the shape of a gun. I pointed it in his direction "BANG!"

Another explosion shook the earth and lit up the night sky.

_Did I hit him?_

I propelled myself downward, almost landing before having to dodge another fast attack. If I'd blinked I would've missed it. This attack was different, though. It was deafening and made a massive crack in the side of the building, causing the sheetrock around it to come crumbling down. I caught a flash of bright red hair and a pair of shiny eyes. I dodged again quickly—his fist nearly struck my jaw.

"Kirishima!" The blonde called out "Where is she?!"

The red haired boy's eyes darted around quickly.

"She was just—"

"Kirishima-kun...right?" I teased "Tell your friend I'm behind him."

The blonde boy whirled around and our eyes met briefly before I launched another attack. I looked him over. He's young—maybe around my age? He's got a sort of a wild look in his eyes...he's cute, actually.

_Then again, its pretty dark out.  
__So, take it for what its worth._

We attacked at the same time. The earth shook violently as firecracker-like pops filled the air.

"Bakugou! Can we wrap this up? I thought we weren't gonna make a big scene outta this!"

"SHUTUP, KIRISHIMA!"

I paused

_Where have I heard that name before?_

"Bakugou..? As in the Bakugou Hero Agency?" I asked, somewhat in disbelief.

Its a fairly new agency, but I've heard a lot about them. They're really on the rise in Tokyo. Why would they come to stop a small scale operation like this?

"Hm. So she's heard about us." Kirishima boasted

These two... I like them. I like their energy._So, I'm about to do something really, really stupid and impulsive._

**Bakugou's Point of View**

"Damn straight." I replied, proudly "Wait, WHAT?!

"You yell alot. You play right into my quirk." She laughed "Bang!"

_A sound and explosion quirk? Who the hell is this chick? __This is what I get for not reading the briefing before I left..._

She created a smaller explosion than before, it made just enough smoke so that she could get back to the ground without us being able to see her.

"So, they sent you two here to stop me?" She asked

_Why does she talk so much?  
__Its annoying._

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I yelled

"Can you just stop fucking yelling for two seconds and let me finish?"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING TO LIKE THAT?! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Shaaame on you, Baku-sama..." She teased "Thats not very heroic."

"DON'T SHORTEN MY GODDAMN NAME! YOU LITTLE—"

"Bakugouuu..." Kirishima groaned, not hiding the annoyance in his voice well at all "Lets just hear her out!"

"Why should we?" I asked

"If I surrender now, you'll take me into custody, right?" She asked

_What is she getting at...?_

"Why would you go and do a thing like that?" I hissed close to her ear

"You're fast."

"Don't sound surprised." I sneered

I wrapped my hand around her delicate throat. She's so short, I tower over her.

"I know you don't know me, and I'm technically a villain... You have no reason to do what I'm asking you to, but I'm not fighting you anymore. See? Just please make it look like you took me down."

"What...?" Kirishima asked "Why?"

"REI!" A voice echoed from nearby. I could hear quick footsteps coming our way.

"Who is that?" I growled

She froze.

"ANSWER ME!"

"_Please_." She begged. The fear in her eyes was palpable as she peered back at the alleyway behind us.

For the second time, our eyes met. Her eyes are so light, they almost glow. Looking at her makes me feel... uncomfortable. I don't know her and I don't know what her damn deal is, but I don't care.

_Whatever. If she wants to go to jail, thats on her.  
__I don't have time for this shit._

I was going to say something else to her, but the police started pulling up. Whoever called her name must've ran off at the sound of the sirens. I glanced over at Kirishima. The look on his face was telling me to "tone it down"—and I get it, I do. Ever since I became a pro hero with this kind of status, I've tried to... dial it back, somewhat. Its really fucking annoying, this whole "keeping up appearances", worrying about my "image" bullshit—especially when someone pisses me off like this.

**Rei's Point of View**

"Just stay down." He growled "I don't trust you, you know that? Kirishima—if she fucks up this is _YOUR_ fault."

"What?!" The red haired boy shouted back

I struggled to hold in my laughter. This Bakugou guy is kinda funny when he gets upset, yet still intimidating. The two men exchanged some hushed words as I felt a pair of cold, metal handcuffs slap around my wrists.

"Officer, we'll accompany her down to the station." I heard Kirishima say from behind me

"You head back, I'll go." Bakugou remarked, begrudgingly "Start on all that damn paperwork."

"You sure?"

Bakugou nodded to Kirishima, but never took his eyes off of me; he glared daggers at me.

_I don't know what the hell I just got myself into._

* * *

**postscript**  
Editing as I go, please bare with me! ^.^


	3. 02: Proof

𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐

𝙸𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜

𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐

\- 𝙰𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜

02

* * *

I told you a thousand times—I _don't_ fucking know!"

I've been sitting in this stuffy little room answering this cops questions for an hour. He keeps asking me the same shit over and over. I'm irritated, tired and hungry.

"Fine. Let's say you don't know." He said "Why did you surrender? Is it because you knew you couldn't win?"

I burst into laughter. The detective just glared at me.

"...Wait, you're serious?" I asked "No."

"Then why?"

I fell silent for a bit. I have an answer for him, I think. I just haven't figured out how to word it. Its not like I was planning to do all this tonight. I always thought that if I did this, it'd be more well thought out. I just saw an opportunity to get out and I took it.

_I don't even know if it worked and I might've just fucked myself._

"Why?" He repeated

"I... I don't know if I want to be a villain."

**Bakugou's Point of View**

I was sitting outside of where they were interrogating her, watching the whole thing from a small, staticky monitor. I decided to look her up on the Hero/Villain database. As much as I don't want to admit this shit... I felt like I needed to know who she was. The site says her quirk is—

"Exploding sound...'' I read aloud "She can turn sound waves she hears into heat and kinetic energy; explosions."

_So thats her quirk, huh? Makes sense._

It says her father is a villain, and her mother was a hero? Damn. You used to _never_ hear about shit like that, it seemed impossible. In the past few years, more and more stories like that have been coming out. I guess people are more comfortable saying it out loud nowadays: heroes and villains can have relationships... and they have for a long time.

_The thought makes my skin crawl.  
What kind of hero could actually fall in love with scum like that?_

Overall, there isn't much information about her online. It says she vandalizes buildings sometimes by spraypainting her villain name on them—Gin.

_Stupid_.

I was only surprised by one particular detail.

_SilverFlame was her mother?  
_

"Bakugou-sama."

The officer walked out of the interrogation room and derailed my train of thought. He looked at me and took a deep breath.

"Well, she technically didn't do anything... and she's claiming she doesn't know what her father was up to. So, I'm at a bit of a loss." He said "She's also claiming she doesn't want to be a villain."

"Bullshit." I huffed "So, she wants to be a hero?"

"Uh...no. Well, not exactly? I'm not really sure."

_What fucking use is this guy?_  
_He didn't learn anything about her!_

"Well, I don't trust her. She could be up to something. Can't she stay here?" I asked

"I, uh, can't arrest her for not doing anything..." He replied sheepishly

"GGGAAAHH! OUT OF THE WAY, EXTRA!"

I busted through the door of the interrogation room.  
She looked up at me and pushed her silvery locks away from her face.

"You're still here?" She asked "Can I go now?"

"No. Not until you tell me why you pulled that shit."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me. Why would you want to make it look like we took you down?" I asked "Who was calling your name? What the fuck are you planning?"

"Planning? I'm not planning anything. I'm not even causing you any problems right now!... I'm also _not_ being arrested, and the officer said I could go. Seya, Baku-kun."

_Baku-kun? Who the hell is she being so friendly with?!_

She made her way over to the door, but I blocked it.

"_Move_." She ordered "I'm trying to go home."

I tried to take a deep breath to calm myself down, but it wasn't helping at all.

_Fucking Kirishima and his stupid breathing exercises. He said these would work._

I still don't like the way this girl looks at me.

"Whats all this bullshit about you not wanting to be a villain then?" I pressed

Her expression twisted.

"Because I don't." She snapped, her voice full of disgust "Its not bullshit, and you're a dick. If you don't move out of the way in 5 seconds, I'll make you move."

**Reiko's Point of View**

He smirked

_Huh. Thats a pretty devilish smirk he's got for someone who calls himself a hero._

"Are you threatening me?" He asked in a haunting tone

"If you'd let me leave, I wouldn't be saying anything to you. At all."

He grinded his teeth. I was clearly getting on his last nerve.

_You're interesting, Bakugou-kun,_  
_but I've got real shit I need to figure out._

"Do you wanna fight?" He asked suddenly

_Just kidding._  
_He's not interesting, he's insane._

"...What?"

"ARE YOU DEAF?!" He yelled "I ASKED IF YOU WANNA FIGHT!"

"Stop fucking screaming! I'm right in front of you. Can I please just go?"

"You're not going—"

"Look," I interrupted "If you really wanna fight, we can spar some other time, okay?"

I shoved past him. I hurried through the maze of dimly lit hallways in the police station. Bakugou's heavy footsteps trailed behind me all the way until I found the front entrance and bolted outside.

"HEY!" He yelled

I whirled around.

"For the love of GOD. What do you want?!" I asked, exasperated

"Do you know why I asked you to fight?"

"Uh, because you're a complete psycho?!"

"SHUT UP! ... Its because you need to prove yourself." He muttered

"Tch. To you?" I sneered "Why should I?"

"I did you a favor. I didn't have to play along with you earlier. I could've killed you."

"You know, for a hero, you're not being very heroic." I teased "I didn't think heroes threatened villains."

"Oh, what happened to not wanting to be a villain?" He asked in a mocking tone of voice

_What the hell is with this guy?_

"I DON'T!"

"THEN PROVE IT, IDIOT!" He yelled "Prove that you're... not like them."

"I don't need your approval." I laughed "I just met you 2 hours ago."

"Then I'll never accept you as anything more than a villain."

His eyes went cold when he said that. Well, not that they were ever exactly warm. He was serious... really serious.

_Why do I care? Why does he?  
I've seriously just been trying to get out of here and he keeps showing up._

I quietly gazed at the foul-mouthed blonde hero. His face was half illuminated by a flickering streetlight above. I'm so distracted by his constant yelling that I keep forgetting how cute he is.

"I'll see you soon." I sighed

"Whats the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You said I've gotta prove myself, right?" I asked "So, I'll see you soon. You're easy enough to find. Biiig, shiny high-rise building in Tokyo with your name on it, right?"

His eyes widened

"Wait!—Was... Is SilverFlame really your mom?"

_How did he..?_

I disappeared into the night before he could say anything else.


	4. 03: Hero

𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍  
𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.

-𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝙱𝚞𝚔𝚘𝚠𝚜𝚔𝚒

03

* * *

The next few days consisted of laying low and trying not to draw any attention to myself. I didn't need my dad or my brothers knowing I wasn't in jail, or worse—that I abandoned them to go out on my own. They would just try to bully into coming back to join them. Fuck that.

_I finally feel free... sorta. _

I went out one morning in an effort to get out of the cramped motel room I'd been staying in. I can't go back to my apartment because they all know where it is, its the first place they'd look for me. I threw on a big sweatshirt and a pair of dark sunglasses—thinking I was being clever and not suspicious at all—and walked to a nearby café for a coffee.

I ordered, sat at a table near the front window and checked my phone. I had a few missed calls from my brothers. None from my dad, but that was to be expected. I've had 3 days to think about how dumb what I did was, have a mental breakdown about it, and wonder what the hell I'm gonna do next.

I slowly sipped my coffee as I apprehensively scanned the restaurant. My dad could have sent people after me if he caught on to what I'm doing. There were only about 5 people in the shop, but my eyes became fixed on the side profile of someone who was standing at the counter. A familiar mess of fluffy, silvery-blonde spikes adorned the top of his head, deep crimson colored eyes, a jawline that could cut steel...

_Is that_..._? God dammit.  
__Thats the guy from the other night. Bakugou._

He looks different out of his hero gear, just as handsome though. He was dressed in a black t-shirt, cuffed black jeans, a pair of beat up white sneakers, and he had earbuds in his ears.

_What does a guy like him listen to?_

I swallowed, hard. My heart rate rose slightly at the sight of him. I attempted to hide my face. If he sees me, who knows what he'll do. He was crazy.

_Fuck. __I can't make a scene or use my quirk, but I need to get out of here before he sees me and loses whats left of his short-fused mind...  
_

**Bakugou's Point of View**

I wish they would hurry up with my drink. I spend the whole night patrolling and this is the kind of service I get?

_Damn extras._

I sighed and leaned up against the counter. I'm exhausted. Patrolled til 4 A.M., slept 5-7, back out at 8. The job of a hero is never done, I guess. I'm not complaining, by the way. I'm doing exactly what I was destined to to.

_Doesn't mean I don't deserve to get some goddamn rest every once in a while though. _

The barista finally handed me my coffee. I grabbed it and started to head towards the door, but something near the window caught my eye. Whatever the sunlight bounced off of nearly blinded me.

Hair. Long, silver hair. Like, _too_ long. So long that its actually pretty damn stupid—dark skin, short, a familiar scent of honey and vanilla, attempting to make an exit.

_HER_!

I bolted over to her and snatched the sunglasses off of her face.

"_Omae_."  
(_You_.)

She looked up at me with those same glowy eyes from that night, with the same look. The one I can't stand—it makes my chest hurt.

"Ah, shit. Hey..."

I sat down across from her.

"Where've you been?" I asked urgently

She shrugged and took a long sip of her coffee.

"Meh. Here, there."

"Well, what the hell are you doing _here_?"

"Wondering what evil thing I'm gonna do next." She replied sarcastically "Can't you tell?"

"You're annoying, you know that?"

"Urusei, BAKA-gou."  
(Shut up)

I gritted my teeth angrily, which made her start to laugh.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?!"

"You. Stop yelling—you're making a scene!" She said between giggles "You are the loudest motherfucker I've ever met."

"Shut up!"

_I still don't trust her, I really don't like how I feel around her._

We silently sipped our coffee for a bit.

"I've been thinking about what you said, surprisingly." She piped up "...About proving myself."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. So, lets do it. Lets spar." She said, all too casually

_Wait, what?_

My eyes widened. I realize that she could be playing the hell out of me... but I'm more than prepared to handle her if she tries anything.

**Reiko's Point of View**

"You're serious?" He asked

I nodded

"Sure. Why not? Show me your big, fancy building, Mr. Hero."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"What should I call you then? Whats your first name?"

"...Katsuki." He grumbled

"Katsuki..." I repeated "Thats cute. I like it. I'll come up with something."

"Cute? Why do you have to come up with anything?! Bakugou is just fine, Gin." He said "Or I guess some people who know me call me Kacchan."

_Kacchan? Aw. _

"Please don't call me Gin. Just call me—"

"Reiko?" He finished

"Yeah... Wait, how did you know that?"

"I... uh—" He stuttered

"DID YOU LOOK ME UP?" I asked eagerly

"NO! SHUT UP OR I'LL KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!"

He shot up from his seat and made a beeline for the exit. I quickly followed suit.

"Yes you diiid!" I teased "You totally fucking did!"

"GAAAHH! WILL YOU SHUT UP!?" He yelled "Its apart of my damn job!"

I shrugged

"If you say so, Kacchan."

* * *

postscript  
thank you for reading (T^T) 


	5. 04: Kowai

𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑

𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢

𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝.

\- 𝙰𝚕𝚏𝚊

04

* * *

We strolled down the sidewalk together. It was crowded with commuters rushing to get to work. People would stop us every so often. Little kids, mostly. They love Bakugou.

_I wonder if their parents are really okay with them loving such an angry hero..._

"What were you doing over here, anyways?" I asked "You live in Tokyo, but you came all the way to a café out in Musutafu?"

"Its a only 10 minute train ride away. All the coffee shops in Tokyo are garba—HEY! I'M THE ONE WHO'S ASKING THE QUESTIONS HERE!"

"Whaaatever. Ask away."

I rocked back and forth on my heels as I awaited his questions. I had been studying him on our walk. Sometimes, I couldn't tell if he was trying to be cool or if it was just natural to him. The way he walks, his manner—the confidence he exudes is insane. Its like he has no hinderances. Nothing can stop him and he knows it.

_What could he possibly want from me?_

The fact that neither of us has any obligation to be together right now, but we're still spending time with each other, keeps floating around in my brain, no matter how many times I try to brush it off. By the time we made it to the subway station, I noticed I was starting to get a little nervous.

**Bakugou's Point of View**

"Your Hero/Villain Database page..." I began "It says that your quirk is...Exploding Sound?"

"Yep." She replied with a nod

"When did it appear?"

"I was 3, I think. I don't remember the exact day or anything. I just don't ever know of a time where my quirk wasn't there." She explained "What about you?"

"I was around 6 or 7–Stop interrupting me!" I snapped "What middle school did you go to?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and gave me a bit of a confused look.

_She's got some nerve giving me all this damn attitude. Does she know who I am? _

"Katsuki, why—"

The train pulled in and came to a screeching halt, so I didn't hear the rest of her question. We crammed inside, along with the large group of people that were waiting on the platform with. She sat down in the last seat near the door. I stood in front of her.

Now that I'm able to really look at her, I don't know how I could've missed that SilverFlame is her mom. She looks just like her—the hair alone is identical. I remember her from TV when I was a kid... she was a hero held in such high regard.

_How did she end up having kids with a villain?_

"Look, I know what you're probably getting at, so I'm just gonna spare you the meaningless questions. I know you don't care about my personal life, or what middle school I went to. So I'll just tell you what you want to hear, okay?"

"What? Thats not how I meant—"

"This all probably gonna be hard for you to understand, but... SilverFlame—the other night, you asked if she was my mom, remember?

I nodded. She turned away and began to gaze out of the window. Her entire energy seemed to shift suddenly, becoming more somber.

"Well, she was... _is_. I'm still not good at knowing how to word that." She let out a nervous laugh "My mom was amazing, she was everything I wanted be. When she was killed... I was just a kid. My dad was the only one I could go to legally, and obviously he was never gonna let me even think about being a hero. He's a fucking villain, why _would_ he?"

I didn't know what to say. She sighed before continuing.

"I never got a choice in what I wanted to be. I was thrown into being a villain because I was too young to be on my own."

_Why'd she have to go and tell me all that shit?_

"What did you do after you went to live with your father?" I asked, desperately trying to change the subject

"Train. All day, every day. I was gonna become the best at whatever I was doing. I wanted _master_ my quirk, so I did."

_Hm... __Well, at least that much about her I can respect. _

"What are the drawbacks to your quirk?" I asked curiously

She stuck her tongue out at me, and just like that, her mood shifted drastically once again back to its original state. She immediately changed the subject, which was a relief... but it also made me feel like I was missing something.

"Oh, niiice try. Tryna get that out of me _before_ we spar? Nope!" She said "Do you know what I realized, Number 2 hero?"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!... Wait, what?"

"I think I finally know why you look so familiar. Didn't you win the U.A. Sports Festival like...waaay, way back?" She asked with the biggest, most annoying grin on her face "You were the guy they had to restrain, weren't you?"

_Its been 5 damn years! Is anyone ever gonna forget about that shit? Or is this gonna be the "slime monster incident" all over again?_

"I _really_ don't like talking about it." I said through clenched teeth

"See? I knew it! You were just a baaaby-Baku." She laughed "I can't say I'm surprised you needed... How many was it?"

"GAHH! WILL YOU DROP IT?!"

She completely ignored me and started counting to herself.

"1, 2, 3, 4... 5? Was it 5 types of restraints they had to use? Ne? Bakugou-kun?"

For a reason I can't explain, a smile crept onto my face without my permission, catching even me by surprise. I don't know if it was the ridiculous expression on her face, or the way she was so curious about me that caused it...

I made a fist and bopped her lightly on the top of her head.

_What is this...? __What is this feeling?_

"Ow!" She laughed playfully "...Do you hate me a little less now?"

"No."

"You sure?" She teased

"_Yes_—KOWAI-CHAN!"

**Reiko's Point of View**

_Kowai..? Scary?_

Before I could even process what he said, he grabbed me, jerking me from my seat about half a second before a deafening blast knocked us to the ground. All I could hear was the screeching sound of metal on metal and shattering glass.

"KACCHAN!" I cried "KACCHAN!"

_What the fuck..? _

...Then, everything went quiet. I slowly opened my eyes. There was a loud ringing in my ears and I felt a strange throbbing sensation near my right temple. I put my hand to it... my fingertips were met with the thick, stickiness of blood.

I tried to catch my breath, but the lingering smoke made it difficult. I started to cough and my mind desperately tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"Itai..." I croaked

(_Ouch_)

"Holy shit... Are you okay?" Bakugou's voice asked, urgently

_His voice is so close..._

I'd landed on his chest, the arm he used to grab me out of my seat was still wrapped tightly and protectively around me. We both had that same realization, so we scrambled to separate ourselves.

"I-I'm fine... I think its just a gash." I said "Are you?"

"I'm okay." He replied, even though he was white-knuckling his forearm

_He's lying._

"Your arm—"

"_Itakunai_." He insisted sharply

(It doesn't hurt.)

"What the hell happened..?" I asked

"No idea."

He sprung to his feet—his eyes changed somehow. I could tell he was going into full hero mode. His ears perked up and he went into a battle stance.

As the smoke started to clear, my eyes quickly scanned the area. Everyone who was jammed into our section of the train was in some kind of distress. The air was filled with haunting, terrified cries for help.

Bakugou's crimson colored eyes shot over to me.

"If you had anything to do with this, I fucking swear—"

"Are you serious right now?" I cut him off "We need to get these people out of here. They're hurt. Save your bullshit accusations for later."

His eyes widened.

_What, did he not think I would talk back to him? What idiot would pick right now to argue about this?_

"They're panicking..." I added "We need to calm them down."

"I'm a hero, I know tha—"

"Everyone!" I called out "I need you all to stay where you are. Don't try to move on your own—you may be more injured than you think! Bakugou and I are gonna get you out of here safely."


	6. 05: Promise

"𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚜,

𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎."

05

* * *

"Alright. I'm sending out an alert for backup. Get out as many as of them as you can, but only after I get back." He ordered "I'm gonna see if the perimeter is safe..."

His handsome, soot-dusted face gave way to a devilish grin.

"If they're stupid enough to still be here, I'll fucking crush them."

"Well, just shout if you need me." I said

"I _won't_ need you." He sneered

"Just _go_ already, we don't have time!"

He cast a sharp glance in my direction before he left.

_God, he can be such a fucking tool.  
Whatever. I don't have time to think about this right now._

I took a deep breath. I can do this. I can totally do this, right? My mom was a hero. If she could do it, I can...

Nervously, I began to assess everyone that I could. I tried to comfort them and ensure them that everything would be okay. It definitely feels different to be on the hero side of things after hanging around villains for so many years—foreign, almost. To my surprise...helping these people came naturally to me. For the first time in so long, I actually felt good about what I was doing.

"Ma'am, please try to keep pressure on your leg. We need to slow the bleeding." I urged "I know its painful, but it shouldn't be much longer before Bakugou gets back."

She had a long, deep wound on her shin from a piece of debris that cut her during the blast. Dark red blood oozed from the gash, staining her porcelain skin.

"W-We'll be saved right?" The woman struggled to speak through her tears "By Bakugou?"

I nodded

"A-are you a friend of his?" She asked

_Ehhh...?_

"...Yeah."

_C'mon, Kacchan.  
__What's taking you so long?_

"Reiko-chan!" A voice called from outside.

Confused as to why I vaguely recognized it, I curiously peered up through the gaping hole that the explosion had left in the train car.

_The red haired kid!_

"Huh? Oh! Kirishima-san!" I rejoiced "Where's Bakugou...?"

"Him and Midoriya are checking things out. They said whoever did this must have fled shortly after the attack." He explained "Lets get everyone out of here."

_Midoriya...?_

"Hai!"  
(Yes!)

* * *

More and more heroes arrived to help. Kirishima and I got about half of the passengers out before I decided to back off and leave the rest to the pros.

_I don't really deserve to be around them...  
I don't deserve to be here at all._

Plus, Kirishima insisted I get the wound on my head checked out. So, I'm sitting in the back of an ambulance while a paramedic patches me up, watching the swarms of heroes, press, and emergency responders rush around in a frenzy.

"Yo."

I looked up. Bakugou was walking towards me. His right forearm was bandaged up.

"Hey..." I said "Did you find out what happened?" I asked

He sighed

"Its strange... It looks like a small bomb caused the explosion, but there doesn't seem to be a source. Whatever it was, it had to have been detonated remotely."

"...Were they targeting someone on board?"

"Possibly. The bomb part is probably quirk related." A new voice chimed in

My mouth fell open slightly at the sight of who was jogging towards us.

"Deku..." Bakugou groaned

Izuku Midoriya. Not 100% sure why Bakugou keeps referring to him as "Deku", but thats besides the point. Its hard to not know who he is. He's the number one hero. To be honest, he really doesn't look the part. He's big and unbelievably powerful, I'm aware, but he's like a puppy. He's adorable. Fluffy, emerald colored hair, big, sparkly eyes and cheeks peppered with freckles—not intimidating at all.

"Hey, Kacchan. Who's thi—wait..." Midoriya began to study me. He looked me up and down like he was taking mental notes, then he started creepily muttering to himself.

"What the hell...?" I asked

"GAHH! WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT YOU DAMN NERD!" Bakugou yelled angrily

"S-Sorry, but aren't you a villain?" Midoriya asked me

"I.. uh... thats—"

"Not that its really any of your business, Deku, but its a long story." Bakugou interrupted "I'd rather not get into the details."

Midoriya gave a nod.

"In any case, thanks for helping today. You were great." He beamed "I've gotta get back—but, uh, it was nice to meet you."

"You too, Midoriya-san..."

"Later, Kacchan!" He said as he trotted off

Bakugou was grumbling about something under his breath. His angry expression never ceases to make me laugh, but right then, it made me realize something: Midoriya is the number one hero, and Bakugou is number two. So, I'm gonna take a wild guess that they're rivals. Bakugou also doesn't seem like he accepts anything less than the best... even from himself. Being number two to Midoriya must really, _really_ suck for him.

_It must be the worst feeling in the world._

"Um..." Bakugou uttered quietly "Thanks for helping out today. You, uh, you really took charge. It was...cool."

_It was a struggle for him to get that out, huh?  
__Wait—did he just compliment me?_

My face quickly grew hot with embarassment.

"Uh, I wanted to thank you too..." I said

"Nande?" He muttered  
(Why?)

"If you hadn't noticed what was happening and grabbed me, I probably would've... just thanks."

"Whatever, Kowai."

"Oh, yeah. Why the hell did you nickname me scary?"

"Reiko. Ko. Kowai." He explained "BECAUSE YOUR EYES CREEP ME THE FUCK OUT!"

"Oh. My. God. Stop. Yelling." I begged

"Shut UP!—AHHH!"

I harnessed some of the sound from all the yelling he did to make a small explosion, one about as loud as a firecracker, near his face. He let out what was probably the girliest squeal I'd ever heard.

**Bakugou's Point of View**

_I'LL KILL HER. I SWEAR TO GOD, I'LL KILL HER._

She was giggling like crazy. Hearing her laugh made my chest hurt almost as much as when she looks at me—maybe more. I've never heard anyone laugh like that. It sounds like music somehow. Its... its just _so_ fucking pretty. She's laughing at me so hard she can barely breathe, and I can't do anything but look at her. My voice feels like its caught in my throat. I can't speak, I can't yell...

_Shit like this **doesn't** happen to me. Ever_

Not to mention, how the hell is she a villain? She calmed and saved dozens of innocent people today like she was some kinda pro hero. I don't understand that—I don't understand her.

_What the hell is this girl doing to me?_

"So, are we still gonna go spar, or what?" She asked, giving me a playful punch in the shoulder "Do you have anything else to do here?"

"Not necessarily. I can do what I need to back at the agency. I'll get more information as the day goes on. You still want to fight even after everything that just—"

"Why wouldn't I? I can't think of a way to blow off steam that sounds better than kicking your ass." She laughed

..._Damn. __Feisty fucking brat._

"You actually think you can win in a match against me?"

"Oh, I _know_ I can." She replied with a shrug

"I'll kill you."

She gave a smirk that was both terrifying and alluring at the same time.

"Promise?" She asked innocently

My heart was pounding like there was a jackhammer in my chest.

"..Lets go then."


	7. 06: Butterfly

"𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎—

𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚢 & 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝,

𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚗𝚘 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞.

𝙸 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗."

-𝙹𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗**  
**

06

* * *

**Rei's Point of View**

I'd seen this building before, but I never imagined that I'd be going into it.

_At least not for this reason. _

Its a tall, glistening building in the heart of downtown Tokyo. The sun reflects off of its windows during the day, making it like a beacon. According to Bakugou, his agency is one of 3 Hero agencies that are inside. The other two belong to Best Jeanist and Fourth Kind. I keep trying to hide my amazement, I don't want his stupid, fluffy, spike-covered head to get any bigger than it already is.

There was a large sign in the lobby that indicated what floors house what agencies. I ran my fingers over it's shiny gold letters.

"Bakugou Hero Agency...Floors 5-10." I said to myself

"Come on." He muttered "Stop staring at shit. Its weird."

"You're an ass." I muttered

I rolled my eyes as I followed him into the elevator.

"Hows your head?" He asked as the doors slid shut. He pressed the button for the 7th floor.

_He cares..?_

"Its a little sore, but I'll be fine. What about your arm?"

"Its nothing."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You sure you're okay to spar? We can hold off if—"

"You scared, Kowai-chan?" He interrupted

A crooked smirk appeared on his smug face. That single smirk made a lazy butterfly start flapping around in the pit of my stomach. It was the most awful feeling of being both happy and uncomfortable at once.

"You know, its really funny to me that you still think I'm scared of you." I laughed

"You are!"

"Oookay, I'm shaking in my boots over here."

"SHUTUP! YOU SHOULD BE!"

The elevator let out a loud ding just as its doors opened, revealing something like... a training gym, kinda? It was HUGE, it must take up this entire floor. There were sectioned off areas with different terrains; woodlands, desert, city, mountains—anything you'd want to test. I could hear all sorts of sounds echoing throughout the gym. Heroes were sparring and training, with quirks of all kinds being used all around us.

_Wow..._

Despite many, many questions he was asked, hoards of people who looked like they needed to speak to him—he ignored all of them and practically dragged me to a far back section, away from everyone.

"Uh... Bakugou-kun?"

No answer.

"BA-KU-GOU-KUN!" I repeated

Ignored again.

_How does this guy run this place acting like this?_

"Will you let me go? I'm not a fucking kid." I snapped

He finally dropped my arm.

"Wow, finally. Some kind of response." I added, sarcastically

I looked around at where we stopped. I instantly understood why he chose this section of the gym. This particular terrain had lots of building-like structures. Its really well-suited for the way we both move.

"You talk too damn much." He remarked

"I wouldn't have to talk so much if you'd just explain things." I muttered

He began to stretch his arms.

"Our quirks are similar, so don't get ahead of yourself, extra." He threatened "I know how you work."

_Cocky bastard._

I leapt backwards and cracked my neck.

"Is that because you love to watch me so closely?" I taunted

"Yeah, thats exactly why."

I could've fallen over at the fact that he actually joked with me instead of yelling.

_You're full of surprises, aren't you, Kacchan?_

"Whatever, man." I laughed "Go all out, okay?"

"As if I'd do anything less."

I think we might have smiled at eachother for a brief second before it was on. My adrenaline was pumping like crazy. I'd been craving this feeling ever since we fought the first time...

* * *

We spent the next couple of hours or so dueling. I pushed myself, I really wanted to show him what I could do.

I'm not going to lie—he's amazing. The way his mind works when he fights is like nothing I've ever experienced. It annoyingly sends that stupid butterfly in my stomach into a frenzy.

We eventually collapsed beside eachother. Two sweaty, exhausted heaps, struggling to catch their breath. I caught myself dreamily watching the rapid rise and fall of his chest.

"You're okay, Kacchan." I admitted

"Yeah... you too. You fight good." He said

"Really?" I asked, shocked that it was possible for him to even give compliments

"I-I mean—" He began, clearly frazzled "You're trash compared to me... but you're not complete ass."

"Shutup." I laughed "I'm great."

"I wouldn't say all that." He chuckled briefly before catching himself, returning to his usual tough exterior.

As we laid there, I could tell that it was getting really hard for me to hear. I pushed myself so much during our match that I think I overused my quirk.

_That isn't like me at all. _

Was I having so much fun that I wasn't even paying attention?

**Bakugou's Point of View**

"Theres an infirmary here if you're hurt..." I mumbled

"What?" She asked

"I said theres an infirmary here if you're hurt! WHAT ARE YOU, DEAF?!"

"Close. You wanted to know what my quirk's drawback was. This is it." She was speaking differently. Louder than normal.

_Her quirk is sound based. __Is the drawback...?_

"When I overuse my quirk, depending on how much, I lose my hearing. I'm not completely deaf right now, I didn't go _that_ hard, but I'm gonna have a hard time hearing you for a few hours or so." She explained

_Damn. What a shitty drawback. __Wait—_

"Why didn't you tell me to stop!?"

She was watching my lips closely as I spoke, trying to read them, I guess.

"Its okay, Kacchan. I didn't want to. For the record, I still hate you, but this was fun." She laughed

_It was._

"So, whats the verdict? Did I prove myself...?"

I found myself hesitating to tell her my answer, feeling nervous. I need to snap the hell out of whatever this is and get it together.

Honestly, I'm more than impressed by her fighting ability. She's strong as hell and she's ruthless—she fights like she's fighting to the death.

_Its incredible._

"Well, you still have a lot of work to do before I recognize you—thats for damn sure... but you really surprised me today, Kowai-chan."

Her cheeks flushed.

"Whats with you being all sappy all of a sudden?" She asked

"SHUT UP! I'M NOT!"

* * *

I showed her around the agency and introduced her to some people. Not everyone was welcoming, as is to be expected. Kowai is still a villain, and a couple of people I introduced her to had run-ins with her in the past. She seemed okay with it though—almost as if she knew she could change their opinions of her.

We ended the tour in the café. We were starving after everything that happened that day.

"Whats up with you?" I asked as we sat down to eat. I noticed she'd gotten quiet towards the end of the tour.

"What do you mean?"

"You're being less annoying than usual." I said with a shrug

"Ha-ha." She replied sarcastically "You're worried about me?"

"Tch." I sneered "Like I would."

"You _would_. Nothing is wrong anyways. I'm just thinking."

"...About?"

"Oh, just about _none of your business_." She said as she flung a grain of rice at me with her chopsticks

"DO YOU EVER RUN OUT OF ANNOYING SHIT TO DO?!"

"Nope. Not to you." She said with a smile "Never."

"YOU FU—"

"Bakugou-kun!"

_Huh?_

I whirled around to see who called me.

"WHAT?!—Oh, All Might... What are you doing here, old man?"

All Might's tall, thin frame was nearing our table. He had a few blue filing folders tucked under his arm.

"I needed to talk to Best Jeanist about a few things. So, I figured I'd stop by and check up on you while I'm here." He explained

I turned my attention back to Kowai.

"I'm sure even _you_ know who this is." I said, but I quickly became worried as soon as I looked at her.

Her chopsticks fell from her fingers and onto the table, sending a few grains of rice to the ground. Her big eyes went wide, and all the color drained from her face—she looked like she'd seen a ghost.

_What the hell..?_


	8. 07: Today, I

"𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞  
𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝."

\- 𝚖.𝚛.

07

* * *

"Oh, yeah. This is Kowa—I mean Reiko-chan."

All Might was gazing at her with a look I couldn't really describe.

_Do these two know each other...?_

Kowai was still frozen, she hadn't moved a muscle since she dropped the chopsticks. I was about to tell her to snap the hell out of it when a smile suddenly appeared on All Might's face.

"I'd recognize that hair anywhere." He said "How'd you manage to track down SilverFlame's daughter, Bakugou-kun?"

I glanced over at her, she looked like she was going to choke.

"Its kind of a long story." I said

"Hm. Come to think of it, I've never seen you spend time with a girl. Could this be your girlf—"

"COULD YOU HURRY UP AND GET TO THE DAMN POINT?! JUST WHAT THE HELL IS WITH YOU TWO?"

He slowly walked over to Kowai's side of the table... and, to my surprise, he bowed.

"I don't know how you came to be in the capable hands of young Bakugou, but I'm glad you did." He began "I had the honor of working with SilverFlame several times—she was a true hero and friend. In the end, I never got to thank her for all of her help. I hope you can accept this is thanks on her behalf, Reiko-san. Your mother was an amazing person."

_Damn._

She sat there, wide-eyed, with her mouth slightly agape. Big tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to be tough and blink them away, but they began rolling down her cheeks.

"A...All Might." She whimpered "Thank you."

All Might ordered a simple meat dumpling and ate with us quickly before claiming he had other business to tend to. He doesn't stick around for too long these days, but its still nice to see the old man.

* * *

**Reiko's Point of View**

I don't think I'm even a person after today. I'm just a swirling tornado of emotions. I don't think I've ever had a day that was this eventful in my entire life—I'm physically and emotionally exhausted.

To add insult to injury, I'm not really looking forward to leaving Bakugou, as insane as that sounds. In 12 hours, I felt like I'd gotten closer to him than I'd gotten to anyone in years... but its starting to get late. I can't just keep hanging around like this. He has a whole agency to run, people to save.

_His responsibility is not a dumbass villain girl who made rash decision._

"Well, I should get back..." I began

"I've made a decision." He stated simply "You're going to be my project."

_Excuse me?_

"Project? I'm not gonna be _anybody's_ project." I scoffed "You'd better think of a better word than that."

"WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME, YOU IDIOT!?"

"Whatever, you still need to change the word. Continue."

He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm gonna take you in, in a sense. You'll work with me and the agency. Being with us will serve as protection from your family... and you'll get to see the hero world up close."

I was in complete disbelief. This is the same kid who wasn't even convinced that I had nothing to do with the subway bombing?

_Why?_

"... Why are you being nice to me? Why do this for me?"

"I'M NOT DOING IT FOR YOU! I'M DOING IT FOR ME, YOU MORON!" He shouted "Besides, this is _probationary_. One fuck up and you're done."

"Okay, fine. And don't call me extra, blasty."

"STOP IT BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND!"

That stupid face he makes when he's yelling is priceless, I don't think it'll ever stop making me laugh.

Without thinking twice, I put my arms up around his neck and pulled him close to me. My own actions throw me for a loop sometimes.

_I really need to work on my lack of impulse control._

"HEY! W-WHAT ARE YOU...?"

"Thanks, Kacchan."

Bakugou's scent is a mix of fireplace embers and cologne. His chest is so warm, much warmer than I expected. He feels like a blanket just pulled from the dryer.

_I wonder if his body temperature is naturally higher because of his quirk..._

"Hug me back, asshole."

After a few moments of silence, I felt his strong arms wrap themselves around me in a tight embrace, sending my stomach into somersaults.

_Fuck, what is this feeling? __I could drown in it._

"You're a pain in the ass." I could hear a hint of laughter behind his words.

I pulled back a bit and looked up at him. His face was the most adorable shade of pink.

"HA! You're bluuushing." I teased

"SHUTUP! TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS AND I'LL KILL YOU!"

* * *

Bakugou let me stay at his place. Despite how much I protested and told him no, he refused to listen. He didn't want me to be alone. He does _really_ well for himself. His apartment is this huge, top floor, stunning, penthouse-apartment about a block away from his agency.

I didn't have anything with me, so after I took a much needed shower, he gave me one of his t-shirts and a pair of sweats to wear. I set up a spare futon on his living room floor. The spacious room has mostly floor-to-ceiling windows instead of walls, and the view of the city from here is... incredible. I've never seen anything like it before. This was all very, very new to me. I'd never stayed with a guy before. I never even had time to get to know any guys. I always had so much other shit to focus on. Plus, pretty much the only dudes I ever associated with were other villains, and I definitely didn't want to date any of them.

_Gross._

I turned off the lights and sat in front of one of the windows, gazing out at the cityscape against the night sky, listening to the sounds of traffic and sirens below as my brain struggled to process the day's events.

Today I:

\- Survived a subway bombing

\- Saved some people

\- Hugged Bakugou

\- Fought Bakugou

\- SPOKE TO ALL FUCKING MIGHT!

\- Cried a little

_Hm. __Not bad for a Thursday._

Bakugou makes me feel... something. What that something is, I don't know yet. I think the part that messes with me the most is how comfortable I am with him. When we talk, it feels like I've known him for years. Theres never an awkward moment or silence...

"Yo..."

He appeared from the darkness behind me.

"Your apartment is insane." I remarked "This view..."

He sat down beside me.

"Thanks. I worked my ass off for this. I deserve it."

I nodded

"So, hero-sama, why no hero name? Just Bakugou?"

"Eh, when I was back at U.A., I picked a hero name, but those extras said it was 'inappropriate'." He griped "It was bullshit."

"What was it?" I asked curiously

"King Explosion Murder."

"...HAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

I couldn't stop laughing, I could barely breathe.

_What is wrong with him?!_

"DON'T LAUGH!" He yelled "ITS PERFECT!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I apologized between laughs "I don't think a hero with the word 'Murder' in his name would've gotten as far as you have."

"Tch. I would've gotten this far with any name."

_I doubt it._

"What about you?" He asked "Your villain name is just Gin. Which means silver. Thats just the color of your damn hair!"

I shrugged.

"I didn't want to put much effort into it. I always thought that if I ever became a hero, I could take my mom's hero name. I don't think I'll ever feel like I deserve it though."

"Maybe that's something you should work towards—becoming worthy of that name." He said

"Maybe..."

"Hey, uh..." He began, awkwardly scratching his head "I know today was probably alot for you. You okay?"

Hearing the concern for me in his voice felt nice...

"I will be. Eventually." I reassured him

"Okay, I just don't want you to get overwhelmed or anything."

"I'll be okay, Kacchan." I smiled "Thank you."

He does that—that thing where he has these little pockets of nice-ness mixed in with his overall prickly demeanor. He's like a chocolate covered pretzel, or kettle corn. Salty, but still sweet.

I caught myself looking at him again. He's just so... handsome. His ash-blonde hair was still damp from the shower. His face, illuminated by the pale, blueish light pouring through the window. He probably has a pool of girls to choose from. A different one every night if he wants.

_I wonder if they're are still into him after they realize he spends 98% of his time yelling._


	9. 08: Gear

"𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚝𝚑,

𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎

𝚋𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑

𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎."

\- 𝚎.𝚛.

08

* * *

**Bakugou's Point of View **

"Theres something I wanted to ask you. Do you think your family could have had something to do with the subway attack today?"

She sighed

"I'd be lying if I said that hadn't crossed my mind. I don't know why they would, but I guess its possible."

"Hm... Well, I have to patrol the subway stations tomorrow. I can see if we can get more information from the police. You in?"

"Sure."

The city lights were reflecting off of those big, pale-blue eyes of hers. She seemed so mesmerized by the view. Shimmery, silver locks of hair fell around her face from the long braid she'd done after she showered.

_This girl makes me feel so mixed the fuck up._

She turned her gaze from the window to me. I pretended not to see her. My heart was beating out of my chest.

I've fucked girls before, of course. Dozens. It just comes with the territory when you're a top 10 hero—but thats really it, its _just_ hooking up. I don't remember any of those damn girls. Nothing special about them stands out in my mind, not even their names. I'm a picky guy.

What can I say? I deserve the fucking best. Its why I haven't had a lot of girlfriends. Its hard to keep my attention and I bore easily.

_This... this is new. This is different._

Reiko is smart as hell, keeps up with me in a fight, has goals for herself, calls me on my shit, she's fearless and she looks...

_SHE LOOKS LIKE A DAMN ANGEL._

I'm still getting to know her, but I think I think I like what I know so far.

She laid her head on my shoulder, and as if it was just a reflex—I rested my head on hers. I didn't even give it a second thought.

**Reiko's Point of View**

I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm just doing what feels natural, I guess? Has it really been so long since I've had a crush, that I don't even remember how to have one?

_...Holy shit.  
__I have a crush on him.  
__Nooo, why? Why Bakugou? Why now? _

This is the worst timing. I have so much other stuff to figure out right now—about myself, about being a hero...

_If I could kick my own ass right now, I would. _

To top all of that off, it just had to be this guy, didn't it? He's complicated, difficult to understand, easy to set off...

Yet, his fluffy blonde spikes are poking me in the head as we speak, and I'm still getting those terrible butterflies. The kind of butterflies you get from Bakugou are another breed.

_They're probably on fire, which is why they hurt so bad._

"Kacchan?" I said

"Hm?"

"I like this—being with you." I admitted "Whatever this is with us, if its anything, I don't want it to stop."

"Eh, I guess you're not as terrible as most people, Kowai-chan."

"You reeeally have a way with words, don't you?"

"I'm kidding, stupid." He chuckled "I wouldn't be here with you if I wanted this to stop, would I? So, shut up and enjoy it."

* * *

We headed out early the next morning. Since I didn't have any clothes with me, I was still wearing the outfit Bakugou gave me to sleep in. I kept insisting that he let me stop on our way to the agency to buy something else to wear, but he kept ignoring me. It was starting to really piss me off.

After walking for 15 minutes in the opposite direction of the agency with no absolutely explanation, I was seriously 2 seconds from blowing up at him.

"Bakugou, what the hell?" I asked, irritated "Where are we going?!"

"Right here."

He halted so suddenly that I ran into his back.

"Itaaaai..." I groaned

"Read the sign." He stated, pointing upward

I looked up at the large yellow and blue marquee on the building we'd stopped in front of.

"Hatsume's _Babies_...?" I read aloud "Whats that supposed to mean?"

"READ THE DAMN PRINT UNDERNEATH THAT!"

_Hatsume's Babies:  
__Hero Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos_

"Hero Gear...?"

"As long as you're playing hero, you might as well look the part... Hatsume is annoying as hell, but she's good at what she does." He admitted "She can make pretty much anything you want."

_My own gear..._

I was sort of in a state of shock as I looked at him. I wanted to say something but I couldn't get the words in my head to form a coherent sentence. No ones done anything this nice for me since... well, since my mom. I'm not used to it. Its not that I'm ungrateful—I just don't even know how to receive it without being awkward as hell.

_Dammit, Katsuki._

"I... I don't know what to say." I admitted

"A DAMN 'THANK YOU' WOULD BE NICE!"

"Arigato, Kacchan..."

We walked into an enormous space that looked a lot like a laboratory. There were all kinds of power tools and parts organized on tall, steel shelves that lined the back wall. Blueprints with sketches of different parts were strewn about the counters and tacked up on walls.

"HATSUME!" Bakugou yelled

"I don't see her."

"She's here." He reassured me "Just wait."

I was so preoccupied with craning my neck to try and peer further into the room—I almost didn't notice Bakugou creeping towards the exit.

"Where the hell are you going?"

"You can handle this by yourself. I try not to hang around Hatsume unless I absolutely need to. She irritates the fuck out of me."

"_Everything_ irritates the fuck out of you."

He shrugged.

"I'm gonna try to finish up some paperwork. I really need to get it done before I patrol today." He grimaced "So, just call me when you're done."

"But—"

"STOP BEING A DAMN BABY! I'm leaving."

"Oh, but how will I ever survive without you, Mr. Hero? I'm so helpless!" I joked

"I'M LEAVING!"

"Wait, wait." I laughed

"What?!"

_Curse this shitty impulse control I have..._

I grabbed him by the collar, stood on my tip toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek, letting my lips linger for a moment before I pulled back.

"Thanks again, Kacchan."

His face flushed completely red and he immediately looked away.

"I-I—" He stammered "You...!"

_Should I not have done that...?_

Just as I was almost overcome with regret, he made a fist and playfully bopped me on the head, just like he had the day before.

"Call me when you're done, Kowai-chan." He repeated quietly. He rushed back outside before I could say anything else.

_My stomach feels its going to fall out of my ass, but I think I'm glad I did that...?_


	10. 09: Gone

"𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚎."

09

* * *

This place is eerily quiet now that I'm alone.

"Uh... Hello?" I called out "Hellooo?!"

There was still no reply, just my own echo mocking me. Being the nosy person that I am, I started poking around. There were all sorts of gadgets, nuts, bolts and stuff I couldn't tell you the names of even if I wanted to.

"Wooooahh..." I marveled

Suddenly, this Hatsume character sprang up from behind one of the counters in the back. She wore a gray tank top and a pair of dark blue overalls, kind of like the kind a mechanic would wear. Her hair was a blush-pink color, and a pair of red steampunk-style goggles adorned the top of her head.

For a moment, we just stood there staring blankly at eachother. She had a huge grin on her face.

"You're not easily scared—I like that!" She shouted

"Uh... Were you there the whole time?" I asked

I swear, I blinked and she was right in front of me, looking me over, studying me.

"Hatsume Mei!"

She completely ignored my question. Her hand jutted out proudly for me to shake.

"Kuroshi Reiko."

Hatsume scanned the area behind me.

"I could've sworn I heard Bakugou-san's voice earlier..."

"You did." I laughed "He just left."

"Aw man! I have some new babies I've been testing out that would be perfect for him! Next time, I guess." She shrugged "Anyways—tell me more about your quirk! Bakugou said in his email that you use sound to make explosions?"

_He emailed her about me..?_

Her golden eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and she flashed me a winning smile as she eagerly awaited my reply.

"Well... depending on how loud the sound is, the bigger the explosion I can make with my hands."

"Mhmm-Mhmm." She hummed "Your quirk is an explosion type like Bakugou's, but with some added components. I see, I see."

Hatsume pulled her goggles down, grabbed my hands and eyed them closely.

"You're gonna need some heat resistant gloves, thats for sure." She noted "Rei-san, when you see yourself fighting, what do you imagine in terms of looks?"

_Huh, I'd never really considered that before._

"Nothing over the top, I guess. Lots of black... with maybe a highlight color in there somewhere...?" I thought aloud "I'm not sure."

We made our way over to a drafting table, where she started on a new blueprint.

"Keep going! Get creative! I want to hear your vision!" She mused

"O-Okay!" I stuttered with excitement "Well, it'd be cool to have something that could help me amplify sounds. I can hear really well as it is because of my quirk, but if I could have something that—"

"Could make specific sounds louder—like little amps?" She asked

It was almost like she could read my mind—this chick is talented.

"Yeah!"

She started scribbling madly, but I couldn't see what she was putting down.

"What clothes do you usually fight in?" She asked

"Nothing special, really. Its usually just whatever I have on that day."

"The clothing element has to be lightweight, fire-retardant, breathable for comfort and sound permeation... yes, yes. Okay!"

"I... I can't think of anything else." I admitted

She gave me a thumbs up.

"Thats okay! Lets start trying some of my babies then!"

Hatsume and I spent the next couple of hours trying things out. We took some of the bare-bones stuff she designed for me after Kacchan emailed her, and added the details I asked for as we went along.

What we ended up with was the most badass gear I could ever imagine for myself. I couldn't wait to test it out in combat—I was practically jumping up and down waiting to. Just as we finished up, Bakugou burst through the front door.

"WHAT THE HELL IS TAKING YOU SO LONG, KOWAI-CH—"

**Bakugou's Point of View**

Kowai was standing there in her new gear... it stopped me right in my fucking tracks. It wasn't flashy or anything, it just looked really good on her. Her black tank top was similar to mine, but it cut off around her midriff. Her pants were loose and baggy, all of her pockets and details were pale blue like her eyes. She had gloves now too, to protect her hands. The most notable thing about her getup were these two tiny blue contraptions that sat behind her ears, almost like hearing aids.

"Sick, right?" She asked with a big grin on her face

"Yeah..."

"You know, Bakugou-san," Hatsume began "Come to think of it, I've never seen you with a girl bef—"

"WILL YOU SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH?!" I shouted "THE PAYMENT IS ALREADY IN YOUR ACCOUNT!"

I grabbed Kowai's arm and started pulling her towards the door.

"Hey! What the hell?!" She protested "Thank you, Hatsume-chan!"

"You're welcome! Come back soon, I'll work on some new babies for you!"

* * *

Kirishima and Denki joined us that day. We patrolled subway station and the surrounding areas until after sunset.

"Yo." Kirishima said to me quietly "So, whats the deal with you two?

"The deal with what?"

"You know what I'm talking about, dude." He gave a nod in Rei's direction.

I glanced up ahead to make sure she was out of earshot.

"Shutup, shitty hair. Its none of your damn business... besides I texted you about everything yesterday."

He sucked his teeth

"Oh, come on. What happened last night after you stopped texting me? She stayed with you, right?"

"I mean, yeah... but nothing happened. We just went to sleep."

"I know you have your reservations about her or whatever. It makes sense because she technically was still a villain a week ago, but, you've got to admit, a girl this interesting has never been able to deal with you for this long before."

"WHAT THE HELLS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"

"You're my best friend, but you're not the easiest person to get along with and you know it. She puts up with you. Consider yourself lucky." He snickered

"Whatever." I grumbled "You get yourself a girlfriend and then I'll start taking advice from you."

"Hey! I'm working on it!"

I looked up ahead. I noticed that Rei wasn't walking with Denki anymore... actually, she wasn't anywhere. My eyes began to frantically dart around, searching for some sign of her.

_Something's wrong..._

"Kirishima, do you see Kowai-chan anywhere...?" I asked

"No... She was just up there, though. She couldn't have gone too far. Lets ask—"

"DENKI!" I roared

We ran up to where he was on the sidewalk. He had a completely confused look on his dunce face.

"Denki, I'm only going to ask you this once and you'd better give me the right answer, you goddamn pikachu." I threatened "Where. is. she?"

He scratched his head.

"Rei was just here, I swear—Its like I blinked and she was gone. Hm. Maybe she had to go to the bathroom or something?"

I instantly had a bad feeling about this, and my heart sank into the pit of my stomach.

"DENKI, HOW DO YOU LOSE A WHOLE PERSON?!" I shouted "KOWAI!"

"You didn't see anyone?!" Kirishima asked

"No!" Denki said "She asked me something and when I looked at her to respond she wasn't there!"

"YOU'D BETTER PRAY THAT WE FIND HER WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE SECONDS OR I'LL KILL Y—"

"I'M NOT GOING BACK!"

_Her voice..._

_Where is that coming from?_


	11. 10: Encounter

"𝙽𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚍.

𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔,

𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚗𝚘 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠."

\- 𝚅𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚅𝚊𝚗 𝙶𝚘𝚐𝚑

10

* * *

An ache was radiating through my chest and over each one of my ribs. My stomach lurched. I felt so sick at the thought of anything happening to her.

"You heard that, right?" Kirishima asked

I nodded

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

_There it is again—Left. __Her voice is coming from the left._

"This way!" Denki shouted

We all ran. I couldn't think straight. All I could think about was Rei.

In the shadows of a back alleyway not too far down from where we were, I spotted her. She was talking to someone... someone with the same silver hair that she has, the same dark skin. I put my arm out to stop the other two from rushing in.

"Wait." I whispered

_Is that her dad? __No, too young. That must be one of her brothers._

**Rei's Point of View**

"Ichiro, I'm not—"

"You seriously thought that you were just gonna leave and that would be it?" He asked "Dads fucking pissed."

Of all the things I expected to happen today—a visit from my brother was not one of them. I was just walking with Denki, minding my own goddamn business, when I sensed that he was nearby. His energy is hard for me to miss, it almost has an odor—a rotting, decaying stench.

I was still coming down from the high of my first taste of what being a hero is like, and then he shows up?

_Of course, because apparently, I can't have nice things._

I had to grab him before he did anything stupid, so when I caught his eye, I dragged him over to the nearest alley that I could find. It all happened so quick and, don't get me wrong, Denki is sweet, amazing and all those other fantastic adjectives, but the boy is a little dense. I honestly knew that he would probably be completely lost when he noticed I was gone—but I needed to move away from them, even if its only temporary. I just really don't want to involve any of them in my family bullshit. Especially Bakugou.

"Its funny that you and dad care so much about me now that I'm gone, but you didn't give a shit about me while I was there." I stated bitterly "You need to leave. _Now_."

"And you need to remember where you came from." He scoffed

"Remember where _I_ came from? Funny. We came from mom too, don't forget that... You know what? I don't even know what I'm saying." I laughed darkly "You already did. You forgot a long time ago, didn't you?"

"Shut up."

"Do you even fucking think about mom, what she would want?"

"SHUT UP!" He bellowed

"You don't, do you?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He shouted angrily "WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!"

"Nothing—which is why I left. You guys don't need me and I'm done with this conversation. I'm gonna ask you one more time to get the hell out of here."

"You're so fucking delusional."

"Kowai-chan." I heard Bakugou's voice coming from behind me

_Shit. _

_That was faster than I thought. I figured I'd at least have enough time to make Ichiro leave before they got here._

My brother glared at Bakugou like he was repulsed by him.

"Rei, seriously? This is who you've been hanging around with?" Ichiro laughed maniacally "This motherfucker is the number two hero, isn't he? Nice mask."

"I'd shut the fuck up unless you wanna get blown away, asshole." Bakugou spat, holding out his arm, his finger rested on the pin of his grenade.

Ichiro might have heard of Bakugou, but he doesn't know him. He only has a few more times to talk to him like that before Bakugou loses his shit.

"Kacchan—_don't_." I said, looking back at him "I'm okay, I can handle this."

His eyes were full of anger and worry as he gazed back at me. It only wracked me with guilt. I don't want to make him worry at all, especially about me. I gave him a small smile, falsely hoping it could comfort him somehow.

"Tch. Look at you." Ichiro continued "Nice outfit. You having fun pretending to be a hero?"

"God, will you just STOP?!" I yelled "I don't know why the hell you're trying so hard to impress dad like you're still 10 years old. You're grown. If you want to be a villain, go be one on your own—Oh! Right, I forgot. You can't do shit him."

My brother's expression twisted and he moved into a battle stance. All three of us activated our quirks.

"Don't you _dare_ touch me, Ichiro." I warned

I heard more footsteps coming up from behind me. Kirishima and Denki must have joined.

"What the hells going on here?" I heard Kirishima ask

My brother smiled darkly and started to clap.

"Oh, bravo, onee-chan. This is really hilarious. You 3 assholes are defending her when you don't even know her? The things she's done? She's exactly the thing you heroes hate, and just like that, you let her join you?"

"I'M NOT LIKE YOU!" I cried "I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!"

"Oh, but you are. You see, onee-chan, I know you. I know who you are. You're a villain. You've hurt people—innocent people. You've lied, cheated, stolen... You think a getting a new outfit and these three are going to erase your past? It won't. _That_ is who you truly are, and eventually, you'll return to those ways because you can't help it."

_Thats... thats not true. __Thats not who I am, right..?_

I could feel my blood boiling beneath my skin. A painful lump rose in my throat and my fists tightened so hard that it felt like my knuckles would snap. His words made me want to kill him right where he stood...

...But, I couldn't. I was frozen, unable to speak.

"Keep your head up, little sister. I'll be seeing you."

He jumped up, using the building walls to propel himself off of until he reached the roof. He looked back down at us one more time before disappearing.

I went completely numb.

* * *

Bakugou had a car take me back to his place shortly after that. Everyone tried to comfort me, but I kinda just shut them out. I was too mortified. I could've curled up and died right there.

_Why did he show up? __Did my dad send him, or did he come on his own?_

Bakugou said he needed to catch up on on a few things before he comes home. I'm not sure I believe him, he could just be trying to avoid me after all that happened. Maybe he needs to think.

_Or maybe he's pissed. Who knows?_

God, I never wanted to put any of my family bullshit on him—on anyone. I felt terrible. I'm supposed to be embarking on this new path in my life and all these skeletons keep falling out of my damn closet.

Unfortunately, Bakugou not being around left me alone with my thoughts.

_Which, for me, can be very dangerous._

* * *

**postscript**:

thank you all so much for reading! I know I'm not the best writer, but I do what I can. Its a big outlet for my depression/anxiety. so, as long as I'm making an effort to do it, thats whats most important.

feel free to leave some reviews if you feel so inclined, I'm all ears n_n


	12. 11: Kiss

"𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚍,  
𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎.

𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚕,  
𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚞𝚙."

11

* * *

My brother's words were playing on an endless loop in my mind. No matter what I did, I couldn't get it to stop. Not to mention, I was really worried about my little brother. If Ichiro is on a manic rampage off on his own, that means Reiji is alone with my dad. Which isn't good.

I figured getting drunk might help. As soon as I got to Kacchan's, I immediately raided his cabinets for wine. To my dismay, all he had was 4 bottles of whiskey, which I've never been a fan of drinking.

_I think it tastes like gasoline—__no wonder he loves it so much._

I let out an irritated sigh at his lack of drink selection. I went and grabbed a towel from the hall closet, deciding a hot shower might be the answer to my problems.

_Update: It wasn't._

After I showered, I somehow felt worse than I did before I got in. Showers give you time to think, well in my case, overthink. I threw on another one of Bakugou's t-shirts. I like wearing his stuff, it smells like him—like a fireplace.

I also caved in and poured myself a glass of whiskey. The amber colored liquid burned my throat as it went down, but I didn't stop until the glass was empty.

I plopped down onto his big leather sofa, and it wasn't long before found myself gazing through the windows of his penthouse once again. Ichiro's words were still loud and clear in my head, they were swimming in the haziness of whiskey, but they were still there.

"_You've hurt people—innocent people_."

"_You'll return to those ways because that is who you are_."

I know what I've done better than anyone else. I hated the shit I had to do when I was a villain, but I still did it. Thats on me, and believe me, I'm trying _so_ hard to atone for those things.

Right now, I have four main fears:

1\. Will I be able to forgive myself?

2\. Will I be accepted by the new people in my life despite the awful shit I've done? Can they see past it?

3\. Just what the fuck is Ichiro even up to?

4\. Is Reiji okay?

I pulled my phone out and sent him a text just to check on him.

**Me**: hey kid. i miss you. Ichiro paid me an unexpected visit today. it was pretty horrible. i hope you're doing okay.

**Reiji**: hey rei. really? I haven't seen Ichiro in a couple days. I'm okay though. just training a lot

**Me**: good. keep it up. not that i particularly care, but hows dad?  
**Me**: wait, days? what happened?

**Reiji**: he's dad lol you know how he is

**Reiji**: yeah. him and got into a huge fight but idk what it was about. it got pretty crazy and he left after that. hasn't been back since.

**Me**: christ. gotta love family, right?  
but seriously. are you really okay? you don't have to stay there you know. if you ever want me to, I can come get you.

**Reiji**: lol i know you will. but i'm okay with dad... i'm happy that you're getting to do what you always wanted, but i'm good. i miss you too

**Me**: thanks reiji. it means a lot... i know you're okay right now but if you're ever not, please call me. my offer always stands

**Reiji**: thanks. love u nee

**Me**: love you too nii :)

Slightly less worried, but still mesmerized by the cityscape outside, I wished I was somewhere else, someone else—someone with a whole different set of problems.

_Maybe some easier problems. _

A light rain started to fall outside. Watching it made my eyes get heavier and heavier, until I couldn't keep them open.

_I'll just sleep for a bit..._

* * *

I don't know how much time went by, but I was awakened by the jingling of Bakugou's key's opening the front door. I sat up and looked at him as he kicked off his shoes.

"Hey..." I yawned

He glanced over at me, but he didn't say anything. He tossed his keys onto the counter and began to approach me silently.

_Is he mad...?_

"I'm so sorry." I blurted out "I didn't... I didn't know he'd—"

My breath hitched in my throat as his strong arms reached out and pulled me close. The embrace surprised me, but I held onto him tight and buried my face in his chest, reveling in the warmth of his unusually high, yet comforting, body heat.

_Being held by him feels like being wrapped in a heated blanket._

"Stop. I know you didn't know." He said "You don't have to apologize to me, dumbass..."

"I..." I sniffed as tears stung the corners of my eyes

"Don't start crying... HEY!"

He pulled back from the embrace slightly. I hid my face in my hands, embarrassed and angry.

"Look at me." He commanded

"No."

"I said _look at me, _Reiko_."_

_He used my full name..._

I hesitantly gazed up into those deep crimson eyes of his.

"What?"

"You're strong as hell." He muttered, averting his eyes, even though he's the one who told me to look at him "And your brother is a fucking prick... but whatever happens, whatever he's planning—we'll figure it out, okay?"

I nodded, blinking away a few tears. Its really hard for me to believe that we'd "figure it out". Bakugou doesn't know what my brother or my dad are capable of. Crazy runs _deep_ in my family, but, since he's mainly all I've got right now, I guess I have to try to trust him.

_Or I'll drive myself insane._

"You're annoying, you know that?" He said quietly "You came along and made everything so damn complicated."

He pushed my head back towards his chest so he could hold me once again.

"Shut up. You've been weirdly nice to me today. Whats going on with you?"

"What? I can be nice when I want to. I'm holding you, aren't I?!" He grimaced "If you tell anyone about this, I'll—"

"Yeah, yeah. You'll kill me, right?" I replied, unamused

"Quit acting like you know me, extra." He chuckled

I looked up at him, knowing full well that it would fuck with him, but I couldn't help it.

"Ehh..?! Whats with that look?" He asked, frazzled

_See?_

"I just like looking at you." I shrugged

_My butterflies are just loving this shit._

**Bakugou's Point of View**

All of these emotions are bending and twisting around in my fucking head, it makes it hard to think straight. I was so terrified earlier today when we couldn't find her, the feeling was so intense it nearly made me vomit.

_This damn girl...  
__She's fucking ruining me._

"I can't stand you." I muttered

"Well, fu—"

I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers.

_Her lips are so soft..._

She was surprised at first, but kissed me back eagerly, more intensely than I thought she would. My heart was beating so fast, like I was on the verge of passing out... but I wanted her so fucking bad and I couldn't suppress it anymore. I tugged at her bottom lip with my teeth, causing a small, sweet moan to escape her lips. Once I got that first taste, I couldn't stop kissing her. I held her as close to my body as I could... and it still felt like she fucking wasn't close enough.

I inhaled sharply as she dug her nails into my back, dragging them downward...

But then, something odd happened.

I felt something—like, a small shockwave was being sent through my palms, from the center all the way out to my fingertips. My quirk was trying to activate on its own.

_What the hell?_

I tried to brush it off, but the feeling just kept growing and becoming more and more intense, until I couldn't ignore it anymore. She ran her fingers through my hair and started to pull on it... that was when—

"AH!" She yelped and jumped back, clutching her midsection.

"What? What happened?" I asked, bewildered

"Your hands..."

I stared down at them in complete confusion.

_This has never happened when I was with a girl before.  
What the fuck?_

"I'm... I'm sorry, did I burn you? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. It just caught me off guard. Did I make you do that?" She asked curiously

"I don't know... No!"

"_Yes_." She insisted, smiling proudly

"Shutup and get your ass back here." I said as a smirk formed on my lips "Nobody told you could move."

She bit her lip and I took her back into my arms. I turned my attention to the smooth, bare skin of her neck, biting it a few times to see how hard she'd let me do it.

_I'm starting to have a hard time controlling myself with her... I hope she can handle me._


	13. 12: Beg

**CONTENT WARNING**: This chapter contains rated M, sexually explicit content.

thank you for 700 reads n_n

"𝚒 𝚊𝚖 𝚓𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚘𝚏

𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞

𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚍𝚊𝚢."

\- 𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚊𝚜

12

* * *

**Reiko's Point of View**

Bakugou had this hungry, animalistic look in his eyes—as if I were his prey. Sharp teeth dug into my flesh. My neck throbbed, but I still clung to him, craving more. He lifted me up effortlessly. I greedily wrapped my legs around his torso, absolutely desperate to feel him against me. We started moving, but I didn't know where to. I didn't care. I was completely lost in him.

My skin suddenly met with a cold, smooth surface that I eventually recognized as one of his kitchen counters. He stood between my legs, planting more restless kisses on my lips.

"What're you up to?" I asked between kisses

"None of your damn business."

He kept this stupid, sexy smirk on his face that I couldn't get enough of.

"You should really watch your fucking mouth when you talk to me." I teased

"_Me_?" He laughed devilishly as his hand snaked its way around my throat "Are you sure about that, extra?"

He brought our faces close together, but he didn't kiss me—even though I was aching for him to, and he knew it. He tightened his grip on my throat ever so slightly. I desperately wanted to hold it in, but another, much louder moan escaped me. The look in his eyes grew even wilder.

"What is that doing to you, hm?" He asked ardently "Is it making you wet when I choke you?"

"K-Kacchan..." I breathed "Don't say stuff like that..."

"Oh, you're shy now?" He teased "Bullshit. You fucking love this."

"Katsuki..." I moaned

I could hear his opposite hand sizzling against the marble countertop as he struggled to keep control of himself.

"Hm. I think I like when you say my name like that..." He whispered, pressing his lips to my ear.

I lifted up the bottom of his shirt up, fiercely needing to feel his bare skin beneath my fingertips. He quickly slipped the shirt over his head and brought his hand back to it's rightful place on my throat. I ogled his gorgeous body, dimly lit by city lights streaming in through the kitchen windows.

_God, he looks like he was chiseled by a sculptor. _

The worst feeling of longing and anguish was building up in the pit of my stomach as his hands caressed every inch of my body. I _needed_ him. I began to fumble with the buckle on his belt, but he swiftly snatched my wrist away from it.

"Not yet, dumbass." He smirked again "You first."

"...What exactly do you mean by that?"

He let out a cocky laugh.

"It means I'm gonna fucking _destroy_ you, Rei."

Bakugou reached for the hem of the sweatpants I was wearing—the ones I borrowed from him. They're loose, so he tugged them down and slid them off with ease, never taking his sanguine eyes off of me. He dropped to his knees, placing himself between my thighs and tightly gripping them with his rough, calloused hands.

"K-Kacchan... please—" I stuttered, struggling to keep my composure "What are y-you..?"

"I wanna taste you, so shut your damn mouth... unless you're going to beg for it."

I could feel his warm breath on my most sensitive parts as he spoke to me in his low, husky voice. He began to place slow, sweet kisses over my heat, making me quiver and writhe for him.

"Beg." He growled

I could barely breathe, let alone get any words to come out. I was too dizzy with pleasure.

"Ple...please..." I whimpered

"Good girl... You want me to do it again?"

I nodded eagerly.

His kisses became slower, deeper. I could hear and feel him moaning into me, all of the soft vibrations made my head spin. I shoved my hands into his hair as he continued to savor me, making deliberate, lazy circles with his tongue.

He would have to stop squeezing my thighs every few minutes to slam his hands onto the counter, filling the air with the sound of his palms sizzling against the cold, marble surface. It drove me even madder knowing that I was turning him on so badly, his quirk was activating by itself.

"Katsuki..." I moaned "You're... you're gonna make me..."

"Do it... cum for me." He breathed "Please..."

That one word sent me over the edge—_Please_. He shoved his face back between my legs. I felt myself becoming undone, my climax was building so fast I couldn't keep up.

"FUCK!" I cried out

A paralyzing wave of euphoria washed over me as I came, leaving me a trembling, breathless mess. Bakugou stood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He gave me a soft kiss and held me in his arms, patiently waiting for me to calm down. I looked up at him—his is face was so flushed. He pressed himself against me, allowing me to feel how big the bulge in his pants had gotten as it throbbed against my thigh.

"I just wanna be inside of you..." He whispered

A loud slap echoed through the penthouse, followed by the familiar sound of sizzling. I ran my fingers over his length, making him shudder and groan with pleasure. The look on his handsome face became lewd and vulnerable.

"Its okay if you're not ready... we don't have t—"

"Can we go to your bedroom...?" I interrupted

He nodded and helped me down from the counter, keeping our fingers laced together as he led us to his room.

I melted into each kiss he gave me, and I wasted no time getting his jeans off. I reached down started to stroke him.

His sharp jaw tightened and his eyes closed.

"Mm..."

"I can't wait anymore..." I admitted quietly

"Hungry for me already?" He taunted

I pulled his boxers down, freeing his length from its confinement and hastily pushed him down onto the bed.

"Wait—What the hell are you—_Ah_...!"

I slowly lowered myself onto him, trying to give myself time to adjust to his size... but he just felt so good.

"Oh, _fuck_..." He moaned

I started to ride him, grinding my hips into him. I was a chorus of moans as he gazed at me, barely able to hold himself together. He rested his hands on my hips and started to guide me up and down, using my body to please his cock.

I could smell burning cotton whenever he'd touch the sheets, but he took such care to avoid my skin whenever he was losing control.

"Shit..."

"Kacchan..." I moaned

"I need... _goddamn_—I need to fuck you.." He panted "_Now_."

Bakugou lifted me slightly, shifting me onto my back. He frantically pushed himself inside of me, making sure I felt every inch of him, kissing me the entire time.

_I became completely his in that moment, _

_I belonged to him. _

"You're so fucking tight..." He hissed quietly "I'm already close..."

I could feel him stretching me, hitting all the right spots with every thrust of his hips.

"Katsuki... ah—"

"Say my name again, say my fucking name." He growled

"Katsuki.." I moaned

"Good girl... You like when I fuck you like this?"

"Y-Yes.."

"Mm... harder?"

"_Please_..."

His thrusts became faster, he was pounding me, and he wasn't satisfied until he had me on the verge of screaming for him.

"You're gonna... You're g-gonna make me fucking cum, Rei."

"I want you to..." I whispered

He bit down on my shoulder, his thrusts became sloppier and less rhythmic as he neared his peak.

"... Holy FUCK!" He cried out as his orgasm overtook him.

He looks absolutely gorgeous when he cums, by the way.

_Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, there are very few situations where he doesn't._


	14. 13: Todoroki

"𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚘,  
𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚐𝚐.  
𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏,  
𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚒𝚛𝚌𝚞𝚖𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜."

\- 𝚞𝚗𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗

13

* * *

Bakugou collapsed beside me and we both attempted to catch our breath. We were silent for a while.

"Well..." I laughed

"Yeah..."

Bakugou turned down the bed so we could get under the covers.

"Why are you all the way over there?" He asked

"What? I didn't think you'd be the type who would want to cuddle after." I said—half joking, half serious.

His expression went completely flat, earning him a fit of giggles from me.

"GET OVER HERE!" He yelled

"Just fuck up my ear drums for the rest of my life, its totally fine." I muttered sarcastically as I snuggled close to him

He wrapped his arms around me in response.

"...Let me tell you something, and I'm only gonna say this shit once, so you'd better listen, okay?" He said

"Okay..?"

"I don't do _this_... whatever the fuck this is. Not normally, anyway."

"And you think I do?" I asked "I don't even know what '_this_' is, Katsuki. So much is happening lately, I feel like I can't keep up. And then theres you... this all happened so fast."

"I know." He sighed "Earlier today when we couldn't find you, it honestly made me feel... scared. I was terrified thinking something happened to you."

_He was?_

"I'm sorry. When I saw Ichiro, I just wanted to get him as far away from you, Kirishima and Denki as I could." I said "I panicked. I never meant to scare you, but you know you don't have to worry about me; I can handle myself."

"I know you can. Its okay, I'm not mad or anything. I'm just pissed off that I felt like that. I'm not used to—"

"Feeling things? Yeah, I've noticed."

"Yeah... whatever. I started to think about how horrible I'd feel if I ever couldn't protect you—because for some god-awful, pain in the ass reason, I want to keep you safe. Its been like that since we met and I can't explain why."

"I feel the same way about you, kid. I don't know whats gonna happen. I also don't know if what we just did is gonna change things. We both have some issues, clearly, but... I like you, Katsuki." I admitted

His eyes widened and he looked away from me.

"I like you too... alot." He mumbled "Even if you are the biggest dumbass I know."

I flicked him in the forehead, kissing the spot immediately after.

"Shut the fuck up. Goodnight, Kacchan."

"Goodnight."

—-

**Bakugou's Point of View**

Kowai wanted to get some training in the next morning, so she headed to the gym. I had an early meeting.

It didn't take too long to find her afterwards. She was in the same section we sparred in a few days earlier, standing on top of one of the building structures. I noticed that she had the dummy targets activated.

"You ready to go, extra?" I called up to her

"Just a minute!" She replied "Kirishima, Todoroki! Are you guys timing this?"

_Todoroki...?_

I turned to my left, thats when I saw Kirishima standing there with him.

"What the—HALF AND HALF BASTARD!"

_When the hell did he get here?_

"Oh, Bakugou, yo." He said with that same aloof, look he always has was on his face.

"Hrnggg.." I grinded my teeth "Yo."

I don't really have a problem with Todoroki, especially now that I'm the number 2 hero and he's number 3.

_Hmph. I always knew I was better than that guy. _

He's my friend, he's just annoying as hell.

"Yep! Ready when you are!" Kirishima called back to her

"What are you guys doing?" I asked, walking over towards them.

"Oh, we ran into Rei-chan on our way in to do some training." Kirishima explained "She asked me to time her while she takes out the targets."

"NOW!" She yelled

Kirishima hit start on the stopwatch and Rei took off. She makes a ton of noise when she's moving around so she can use her quirk, she lands really hard, bangs on things, yells, then sets off explosions—its pretty crazy to see. We watched in awe as she took each target out without missing a single one.

Kirishima glanced over at me.

"Whats with that smile, Bakugou?" He joked, nudging me with his elbow

"SHUT UP! I WASN'T SMILING!"

"Its an interesting quirk for sure." Todoroki mused "Must've been hard to master that..."

_I don't like him gawking at her like that._

_Who the hell does he think he is?_

Rei dropped down suddenly with a loud thud.

"How... long was... that?" She panted

"22 seconds." Kirishima replied

"Dammit."

"Whats wrong with that?" Todoroki asked

"Nothing. I just want to get it down to 20." She said, frustrated "Ever since I started wearing these amplifiers from Hatsume, I don't need as much noise—so I keep overdoing it and the explosions end up being too big. I'm still trying to adjust."

"Can you turn the amps down?" Todoroki asked "Do they have intensity settings?"

_Whats with all the damn questions? _

_Doesn't he have somewhere to be?!_

"They're already on the lowest one. I don't want to have Hatsume adjust them, I want to adjust _to_ them. I've needed something like this for a long time, so I really want to be able to use them properly."

Icy hot fuckboy opened his mouth to say something else to her, but I interrupted.

"_We_ can work on it together later, if you want." I suggested "You ready to go?" I asked

"Sure, I'll go change." She turned to Kirishima and Todoroki "Thanks guys—Todoroki, it was nice to meet you."

"Likewise." He said with a nod

She jogged off towards one of the locker rooms.

"Alright, Todoroki, ready for me to kick your ass?" Kirishima said, putting his fists together

"Actually, theres another reason I'm here." He divulged "Bakugou."

"...What?"

"I don't want you to be alarmed, or get upset. I came to warn you about something."

"Warn me? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Is Reiko a villain?" He asked

"She _was_—what does it matter to you?" I asked suspiciously

"Look, this isn't coming from me, its just something I heard. Other heroes are talking. They think you're not thinking this through."

My jaw tightened, I could feel the anger building up to the point where it was making me shake. I tightened my fists.

"WHO THE FUCK IS—"

"What...? What are they saying?" Kirishima gave me a warning glance as he chimed in

Todoroki let out a sigh.

"They think that he could be putting us all in danger by having her around, that she can't be truste—"

"WHAT THE FUCK DO THEY KNOW?!" I shouted

I attempted to calm myself down by taking a few deep breaths, trying to remember that I'm a pro now and I needed to handle this like one.

_Even though I want to torture icy hot into giving me a list of all of the heroes talking shit and kill every single one of them._

"Do people really think I'm the type to not think things through? I mean, seriously—I barely trust _anyone_. Ever. Besides, Rei's not... she's not like that. Even so, I always have my guard up."

Maybe I'm getting defensive because half of me already knows exactly what Todoroki is talking about. I've said this shit before, I'm aware that she could be manipulating me, that this could all be apart of some bigger plan set forth by her and her family. I fucking hate thinking about it because I don't think she's that kind of person.

_But anything is possible._

If I'm wrong and I end up dead because of it, thats on me. I'll have nobody to blame but myself.

"I'm with Bakugou on this one." Kirishima agreed "Rei-chan is committed to this."

"Hey, like I said, its not me." Todoroki said "I just wanted to make you aware so that you don't get blindsided, okay?"

"Well, thanks, I guess." I said

I wish everyone would just shut the fuck up and let me live. I know what I'm doing.

_I think._


	15. 14: Date

"𝚂𝚘, 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔,

𝚜𝚒𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎. 𝙸, 𝚝𝚘𝚘, 𝚊𝚖 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎."

\- 𝚁. 𝙰𝚛𝚗𝚘𝚕𝚍

14

* * *

**Reiko's Point of View**

The next few days were rainy and uneventful. I spent most of my time training and getting experience patrolling with other heroes besides Bakugou. Aside from stopping a pick-pocket, I didn't really do too much.

On another note, explosion boy has been acting weird lately, weirder than usual. I still end every day in his arms, but something is way off.

_He's hiding something from me._

The day the sun finally showed itself in the morning, it felt like Tokyo collectively breathed a sigh of relief, but it was in vein. The sun was gone by noon and the rain returned. Bakugou and I ended up having to buy some overpriced umbrellas from a corner store, which he griped about for an hour. Other than that, he was pretty quiet.

By sundown, I was really starting to overthink.

_Did I do something to make him act like this?_

_Did I say something?_

We were walking near the busy Kanda district. It was just about time for everyone to get off work and start heading home, so the streets were filling up fast.

"...Are you okay, Kacchan?" I asked

"Yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

_Lie._

"You seem off lately." I noted

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to say to that?" He snapped

_What the fuck is his problem?_

"Whatever. Forget I asked."

We walked a few more feet when I felt his fingers wrap around my wrist. I whirled around to face him.

"I've just got a lot on my mind." He said

"So do I. You don't see me acting like an asshole."

"I _said_ I'm sorry."

"Kacchan, whats wrong?" I pressed

"I'm fine. Really." He reassured me

I still don't believe him, but I know him well enough to know that if I keep prodding and asking for specifics, he's gonna flip the fuck out. So, I'll hold off for now.

We started to walk again, but it wasn't long before he said the absolute LAST thing that I expected him to.

"We're going on a date later." He muttered

_HUH?_

"I'm sorry, what...?"

"I SAID WE'RE GOING ON A DATE LATER, DAMMIT!"

He acts like a complete weirdo for nearly 4 days, then he asks—no—tells me that we're going on a date?

"_You_ want to go on a date?" I asked in disbelief "With me?"

"WHO ELSE WOULD I GO ON A DATE WITH, IDIOT?!" He yelled "I've gotta take care of some stuff first. We'll finish up this patrol, then you can go change. We can meet back up near Tokyo Station at—" He paused to glance at his watch "Seven."

_Thats it. He's lost it. Bakugou has left the building._

I gave him my best "You know I know this is bullshit right?" look.

"Get that stupid look off your face." He said with the same crooked smirk that usually never fails to me grin like a complete idiot, but I held it in this time.

"It took a lot for me to ask that, the least you could do is say something..."

"You didn't ask me anything! You _told_ me we're going on a date. What do you want me to say?"

"Well, do you wanna go or not, dumbass?"

"...I mean, of course I do, but—"

"Good. Thats that, then."

Completely baffled and more than a bit annoyed, I finished the patrol with him and waited while he reported back to the agency.

"Seven sharp, got it? Don't be late, extra."

"Okay..."

I watched him hurry off in the opposite direction. I'm 100% sure he only asked me to go on a date to distract me from the fact that he's hiding something , and I called him out about it. So, now I have to worry about this whole charade on top of everything else.

* * *

I changed into what I thought maybe was a date outfit? I don't know. I'm not really the dressy type. So, the best he's getting from me is a t-shirt dress and a leather jacket.

I headed to Tokyo Station. I waited out front for about 10 minutes. One hand held my umbrella, while the other anxiously checked my phone every 5 seconds. I still wasn't sure what was going on with him, and I had a million questions about it.

"Kowai-chan."

I looked up.

My heart jumped into my throat at the sight of him. In true Bakugou fashion, he was dressed in all black. He wore a collared shirt with the sleeves cuffed up to his elbows and a pair of fitted pants. A few silver chains hung from his belt loops. The stark contrast of his dark outfit against his porcelain skin and pale blonde hair was something to behold—it was simple, but he looked so good.

"Hey..." I said with a smile

His eyes scanned my body, looking me up and down.

"You look... youlookgreat."

He shyly mumbled the last part, stringing it all together like it was one word.

"Thanks. You clean up pretty nice yourself, kid."

"I know." He said with a cocky smirk.

I stood on my tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips. I couldn't help myself. He placed his hand on the small of my back and pulled me in close, awkwardly causing our umbrellas to collide.

"There are people around, weirdo." He grumbled, blushing

"Says the one who pulled me in. Now, will you tell me what we're doing?"

"Well, first, we're eating. I'm starving."

**Bakugou's Point of View**

I took her to this Ramen place I like. Its quaint, not overly fancy, but not too casual either. She looked so damn pretty in the ambient golden light.

I ordered warm sake to start. I poured us each a cup.

"Cheers?" She said, holding hers up

"Cheers, loser."

We clinked our cups together, but not before she gave me the finger.

Rei isn't stupid, she obviously knows somethings up. I usually pride myself on not giving two fucks what anyone thinks—but what that icy hot bastard told me the other day really got to me, and I can't let it go. The thought of other heroes not trusting my judgement really pisses me off. I don't want their faith in me to waver. I'm the number two hero and, unfortunately, shit like this is matters now.

_I wish I was back at U.A. sometimes—pissing off whoever the hell I pleased and not worrying about it._

Of course, I don't want to tell Rei anything. I don't want her thinking this is her fault, or thinking I don't trust her.

_Caring about other people is exhausting, and I hate it._

"...Somethings been bugging me."

"No! I never would've guessed." She replied sarcastically

"Don't be a wiseass." I laughed "Its just... I'm not good at shit like this."

"Shit like what?"

"I think I want us to... man. Uh, this is hard... Dammit. I think I want us to know each other better...?

She furrowed her eyebrows.

"...Thats it?"

"SHUT UP! I JUST SAID I'M NOT GOOD AT THIS!"

"Just so you know, I do believe that you want us to get to know each other better, but I know thats not whats really bothering you."

_Smartass_.

_Like I said, the girl sees right through me._

"But," She continued "I guess I am a little curious about you."

"Okay then. Ask me anything."

"Lets make it interesting." She challenged as she poured us more sake "We'll take turns asking each other questions. You can either answer, or if you don't want to, you can take a shot instead."

"Tch. You're on. You go first."

"How many girlfriends have you had?"

_That was quick._

"Serious ones? Only one since I finished high school." I replied "You?"

"I had one boyfriend in high school. Thats it."

"Villain?" I asked, raising an eyebrow

"Of course. You're the only hero I've been... whatever with."

_Damn straight._

"I like that. Lets keep it that way." I replied with a smirk

"Oh my god." She grimaced "How many girls have you slept with, Mr. Top 10 hero?"

"HA! Nope!"

I poured myself a shot and took it quickly.

"Wooow!" She laughed "So, you're a hoe, huh? Bakuhoe?"

I shrugged. She replied by rolling her eyes at me.

"Anyways," I began "How long did you and that guy date? If he's a villain... who is the bastard? Would I know of him?"

"To answer your first question: my junior and senior year, so, about two years. For the next two, which technically don't count because you can only ask one question at a time—"

She took her shot.

"Ohhh, I am absolutely gonna find out who the fuck he is now!" I said "I have to!"

"Don't, ugh." She laughed, hiding her face in her hands "Not worth it. Its so embarrassing."

We were still laughing about that when the server came to take our order.


	16. 15: Alert

"𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐." - 𝚛.𝚑.**  
**

15

* * *

**Reiko's Point of View**

Bakugou, of course, ordered the spiciest beef ramen they had on the menu, then added sriracha to it anyways. I ordered miso-pork ramen... which he added sriracha to without asking me.

We learned so much about each other during dinner. We ate, we laughed, we drank... we drank quite a lot. We ended up stumbling out of the restaurant, actually.

The nighttime summer air was hot, thick and sticky from the rain. The puddles that collected on the city streets reflected the lights and neon signs above.

"It finally stopped raining!" I exclaimed

"Thaaank god." Bakugou slurred "Dates not over yet though."

"Oh, really? Where to next?" I asked curiously

"Somewhere... Its a surprise."

He wore his usual stern expression, a scowl of sorts, with a new twist.

"Kacchan, you're drunk." I smiled at the rosy hue his cheeks had flushed

"I'M NOT THAT DAMN DRUNK, YOU'RE DRUNK!"

"Only a little!" I emphasized that with my pointer finger and thumb, holding them as close together as I could.

"Come on, Kowai."

He took my hand. I didn't know where he was taking me next, but it didn't matter. The emotion I was feeling as wandered through the streets together, giggling like two kids, peeking into stores and looking at shop windows—it was entirely new to me. Its was terrifying, yet wonderful.

* * *

He led me to a back, concrete waterway with a small bridge. It was quiet, and the sound of the water flowing was so peaceful. It was dimly backlit by the glow of lights coming from the city.

I gave him a knowing smile.

"Don't look at me like that, you idiot. I come here sometimes to... I don't know. Sometimes I just sit out here. Clear my head."

"Mhmm."

I followed him to a grassy knoll over near the bridge. The earth beneath us was warm and soft. The dark night sky was beginning to become peppered with stars as the rain clouds cleared out. It gave this stunning backdrop to what was probably the most unexpected, unlikely scene that I could've thought he'd show me.

We sat there quietly for a bit, looking out over the water.

"Kowai..."

"Hm?"

"I'm gonna tell you some stuff... Its easier to talk when I'm drunk. Which is pretty damn sad, actually." He sighed "I want to be able to say certain things but I get so stuck in my fucking head and I never used to—"

"Kacchan, slow down. What are you babbling about?"

I scooted in front of him so I could see his face. He took a deep breath before fixing his intense scarlet eyes on me.

"You can talk to me..." I added

He looked down and began to anxiously pull at the grass with his fingers.

"Its about why I've been weird the past few days." He said "Do you remember icy hot?"

_FINALLY!_

Finally he's going to tell me whats been wrong with him... And what does he mean by Icy hot?

_Oh, wait, is he talking about that one guy I met? Endeavors' son? _

"Todoroki?"

"Heh... this is why I like you—but, anyways... he told me something, and I haven't been able to get it out of my damn head."

My expression twisted. Now that I'm thinking about it, he started acting like this right after Todoroki showed up.

"What the hell did he say to you?" I asked, sharply

"He was just passing on some stuff he'd heard from some other heroes, but its what they're saying that has me... all fucked up."

I could tell that this was really weighing on him.

"Well, spit it out. What did they say?"

He remained silent as a soft breeze ruffled his hair.

_His silence, unfortunately, said a thousand words._

"...Its about me, isn't it?" I asked reluctantly

"..Not entirely." He revealed "They think that I'm being careless by letting you work with me because you were a villain—that I could be putting everyone in danger."

I swallowed hard as a painful ache rose in my chest. It was like I was being torn apart with guilt from the inside out.

_No... _

Being a hero is Bakugou's whole life, its the most important thing to him. He's worked so hard to get where he is. If the other heroes stop trusting him... he could lose everything—and it would be my fault completely_._

"K-Kacchan..." I stammered "I didn't want this to happen. I never meant to put you into a position where your judgement as a hero would be questioned—I-I'm so sorry."

"STOP IT! See? This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you! I don't want you to blame yourself."

"How can I not?!" I asked

"Because this isn't your fucking fault, Rei!"

"It _is_." I insisted "Its not like I knew we would get this far."

"I didn't either."

"...You're still not sure if you can trust me either, are you?" I asked "Thats why you're having doubts. Otherwise you wouldn't care about what anyone was saying."

"...Thats not what I'm—"

"Katsuki. I don't expect to fully trust me yet. You've known me for, what, 2 weeks? A-And, of course I'm gonna feel guilty about this. I dropped into your life out of nowhere and I put _a_ _lot_ on you. It was selfish and stupid—especially for me to think you'd get no backlash."

"But I agreed to take that shit on. _Me_. That was my fucking decision. I could've said no, but I didn't."

I felt a lump beginning to rise in my throat, salty tears made desperate attempts to well up in my eyes.

"It doesn't matter as long as the source of your problem is still me. If I know anything thing about you, its that you don't bow to others. You stand your ground, you say whats on your mind, and as long as you know you're doing the right thing, nothing else matters. Thats one of the things I admire most about you."

The look in his eyes was one I'd never seen from him before. I don't know if he was worried, upset, scared, or what.

"If I need to, I'll train even harder. I'll work my ass off to prove myself to them and to whoever else that I'm different." I continued "I don't care what I have to go through—I'll make them see me just like you see me... and if it ever becomes too much for you, let me know and... I-I'll leave. You'll never hear from me again."

A few angry tears escaped and streamed down my cheeks. The thought of leaving Bakugou and never seeing him again made me feel sick to my stomach.

"Thats not gonna fucking happen, do you hear me? I promise you." He reassured me, tucking some of my hair behind my ear "And if you leave, I'll hunt you down and kill you."

Hearing that I have his support meant more to me than I thought it would.

"Shut up." I sniffed, managing to give a weak smile.

"We're gonna work hard together, okay? Me and you. Now stop your stupid crying."

I nodded as he leaned in. I felt the smile on his lips as he kissed me, sweetly. His warmth drew me in closer.

"You're a piece of work, you know that?" He whispered, resting his forehead against mine "You'd better not be telling people I'm a sap, dumbass."

"Call me a dumbass again and I'll throat-punch you."

"I'd like to see you fucking try."

_He thinks I'm playing. Funny. _

Just as I started to crack my knuckles, our phones went off. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but they went off at the exact same time, and made the same sound. A sound that I'd gotten to know all too well.

He and I exchanged troubled glances as we pulled our phones out.

His BHA (Bakugou Hero Agency) alerts are forwarded to my phone via the app. As soon as I opened it, I was bombarded by notifications. They were all map locations shared with Bakugou from 4 different contacts.

"What the hell...?" I asked

"They're backup requests from... Iida, Deku, Sero and Kirishima. Son of a bitch."

We both stood. Bakugou stretched his arms and cracked his neck.

"Come on."

"...You sure you want me to come with you?" I asked

"Of course I am."

"What do you think is going on?"

"No idea, but I'm ready."

I noticed that his normal, determined and slightly wild expression had returned.

_What a relief._

_I'd missed it so much._

"LETS GO BLOW UP SOME FUCKING VILLAINS!" He shouted with a malicious smile.

I activated my quirk, setting off two explosions, one from each hand, using the sound of his voice.

"Lets do it."


	17. 16: Dad

"𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚐𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚝."

\- 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜

16

* * *

**Bakugou's Point of View**

Damn, its good to feel like myself again—all thanks to her. I can tell she's more focused than ever, her eyes are brighter than usual, more determined. What she said to me about wanting to work hard and make the other heroes acknowledge her, it makes me like her even more than I already do, which is frustrating as fuck.

We sped over to the location, arriving after about 10 minutes. I could see them up ahead, Deku, Iida, Sero and Kirishima... but the scene was chaotic. I slammed on the breaks and stopped the car abruptly.

"What the hell...?"

Just as Rei and I rushed out, I heard it. It was this loud, guttural scream... it sounded almost human, but not quite. It was as if there were multiple tortured voices all wailing in unison.

"BAKUGOU!" I barely saw Iida running towards, he was moving so fast "MOVE!"

"BABE!" Rei cried, before grabbing me and hauling us backward with one loud explosion.

_Babe...?_

"What... what are these things?" She asked, her voice shaking "T-They're everywhere!"

I looked back at where I was standing a moment earlier. I saw this... _thing_ there. It was fleshy, and had skin like a human, but no definitive shape other than legs and arms that protruded from it at odd angles. It must have been at least seven feet tall. It had several eyes, none of which were the same size or looking the same direction—and they were slimey, each oozing a vile green fluid.

The monster picked up my car with such ease, it took me by surprise. It tried to launch the vehicle at Iida, but he and Sero took it down.

_MY FUCKING CAR!_

_I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THESE DAMN THINGS!_

We sprang up and ran towards where Deku was.

"DEKU!" I sneered

"K-KACCHAN!" He yelped

"WHATS THE SITUATION, YOU DAMN NERD?! ONE OF THOSE BASTARDS JUST TOSSED MY CAR INTO THE AIR LIKE IT WAS A GODDAMN BASEBALL!"

"AHHHHHHHH!" Rei screamed as she zoomed past us

She launched herself forward with 4 bright explosions, right up to another one of the creatures. She landed on top of it and wasted no time making its head explode. It's limp body fell to the ground.

_I love watching her fight._

"FUCK YEAH! NICE ONE, BABE!" I cheered

_I guess I'll use it too? Babe..._

_I don't understand any of this shit. _

"THANKS—AHHHHHH!"

I turned my attention back to Deku as Rei started to attack another one of the creatures.

"DEKU, WHAT THE HELLS GOING ON?!"

"Well—AGH!"

Another much larger one charged towards us.

"DIIIIIIEEEEE!"

"DETROIT SMASH!"

Him and I both attacked it, causing it to explode entirely—sending chunks of flesh and entrails spewing into the air, they landed on the road with a loud, wet splat.

"These things are fucking gross." I said, glaring at its parts strewn about the road.

"Yeah... They showed up about half an hour ago. I counted 15 of them. There haven't been any more reports of them, so I'm thinking this is just an isolated incident." Deku said

"I hope they're actually just contained to this area and you've done confirmed that, damn nerd." I muttered

"I _did_!"

"These things aren't that smart... but they're strong." Kirishima explained as he ran up to us "Some of them are easier to take down, others are more, uh..."

His pointed back in the direction of where my car once was.

"L-Like that..." Deku stammered

Rei, Sero and Iida joined us as we all looked at the ghastly beast. This one stood at least 15 feet tall, letting out that same awful cry and giving off a putrid stench.

"Hey! What'd I... miss...?"

We all looked to see where the new voice came from. Then, I spotted Todoroki jogging up.

"Tch. You're late." I said

He rolled his eyes.

"Oh! Todoroki! Pleased to see you." Iida said, giving him a salute

"Hey Iida. What is that thing?" Todoroki asked

"WILL SOMEONE FILL THIS DUMBASS IN SO WE CAN GET BACK TO KILLING THESE SHIT STAINS?!"

"Bakugouuu..." Kirishima groaned

"WHAT?!"

**Reiko's Point of View**

"Okay—enough. We need to clear whatever the hell these things are out of here." I interrupted

Deku nodded in agreement.

"Rei-chan is right. Take them down before they destroy anymore property. There shouldn't be too many left. We'll assess after." He said "Work together, if anyone needs anything, just shout!"

"Damn nerd—thinking he can just waltz in here and make the fucking rules." Bakugou grumbled under his breath, but with my hearing, it was clear as a bell.

I reached down and gave his hand a squeeze. I know being around Deku is frustrating as hell for him, but he's doing his best to keep his composure...sorta—in his own way.

_It could be worse._

"Bakugou and I will take the big one." I said "Right?"

He glanced over at me, giving me a mischievous smile.

"HELL YEAH!"

"LETS GO!" I shouted "AHHHHHHHH!"

"DIE, YOU FLESHY BASTARDS!"

We blasted ourselves forward like bats out of hell, leaving trails of fire in our path.

"They're a little scary together..." I heard Deku say from behind.

"I HEARD THAT YOU DAMN NERD!"

We headed straight for it—its figure was hunched over, lurching forward with heavy footsteps. It was surprisingly quick with its movements. It would swat and swing, but it was no match for us.

"I'M GOING FOR THE LEFT!" I shouted to him

"I'LL GO RIGHT THEN! DIIIEE!"

The air was filled with the sounds of deadly explosions as we sent pieces of the creature flying. We continued this pattern of screaming and attacking wildly for 3 more of them—then it got quiet.

"Is that all of them?" I asked, breathlessly

"I don't see any more—I think so."

We turned back, seeing that the only one still fighting was Deku. He'd cornered one that wasn't much larger than him.

"FULL COWLING!"

He delivered a powerful kick from above, effectively splitting the beast down the middle... but we all froze as the creatures flesh tore apart. We heard a blood curdling scream. Not like the awful cries of the creatures—this was one voice, a human voice.

"HEY...! HEY!" Deku shrieked "CALL FOR EMERGENCY BACKUP!"

"I'm on it!" Iida called back

We all ran to over to Deku.

"Deku, what'd you—" Kirishima stopped talking abruptly "What the hell—WHAT THE HELL?"

"Whats going on ove—" Bakugou's voice also stopped just as abruptly

_What's happening?_

I shoved past him a little bit... my knees went weak at the sight before me. From out of the center of the creature that Deku had slaughtered, someone had fallen out of it's body cavity—a man. He was covered in the rancid smelling ooze that came from the monster. Hey looked as if... he was barely alive, if at all.

"Oi oi oi... i-is this some kind of sick fucking joke?" Bakugou choked out

"I don't think so..." Todoroki replied "Thats... that's definitely a person, right?"

"Is he breathing?" Sero asked

"Who would... How would...?" Iida said, trying to collect his thoughts

"Wait... Let me see him." I said

Deku leaned back slightly, giving me a better look. Todoroki lit his left half, providing some light. I studied the figure that was in Deku's arms. It was almost encased in the green substance.

_Why does that look like...?_

_No. No. That isn't._

I dropped to my knees, beginning to claw at the disgusting slime, throwing the excess aside wherever I could.

"Hey—you can't just..!" Kirishima

"REI, CALM DOWN—WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Bakugou asked, attempting to pull my arms away, but I jerked away from him fiercely.

"D-Do you know who this is?" Deku asked

But I couldn't answer him.

I kept frantically peeling gunk away from the body. My vision was getting blurry, my breathing was labored and shallow. Part of me already knew exactly who I was looking at. I just needed to see the face completely clean, so that there was no doubt in my mind that it was—

"...Dad?" I said

"..._DAD_?!" Everyone repeated in confusion

"What... What the fuck is this?" I asked, horrified "Are you controlling these things, you bastard?"

Bakugou kneeled down beside me.

"Rei, This guy... this is your...?"

I nodded slowly.

"ANSWER ME!" I shouted, shaking him violently "DID YOU SEND THESE THINGS HERE?!"

"Reiko-chan..." He croaked weakly "You... have... to stop... Ichi...ro..."

"You're telling me Ichiro did this? Ichiro is the one who sent these things out here?"

He gave what I figured was a nod, as much of one as he could muster.

"Wheres Reiji?" I asked

"He's... safe..."

"Safe? What the fuck does that mean? I asked you where he is."

He started looking around, he let out what sounded like a chuckle.

"You're... a... hero...now, hm?"

"WHERE THE FUCK IS REIJI?!" I yelled

"...You're... just... like her. Your mother..."

"You don't get to talk about her." I spat

I could hear sirens coming our way in the distance.

"Follow... your... silly—" He paused, coughing up quite a bit of blood "—dream. In... your fantasy world... stupid girl... you'll end up dead."

I shook my head at him. Even on his deathbed, he insults me.

"The irony of this is pretty amazing, isn't it, Dad? You're about to die because of the son you adored so much, and yet, you still can't find it in you to see the good in your daughter. I feel so sorry for you." I said "I hope you burn in hell."


	18. 17: Number One

"𝚍𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚍  
𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝  
𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏."

\- 𝚒𝚜𝚛𝚊𝚑 𝚊𝚕-𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚑

17

* * *

My father died in the hospital shortly after his arrival there, which I learned around 4 in the morning. We didn't really have a relationship. So, I wasn't necessarily sad about it, but I wasn't thrilled either... just kind of indifferent.

_Plus, I have a million other things to fucking worry about._

I tried to call my little brother's phone over 10 times, until eventually it just started going to voicemail. He also didn't respond to any of my texts. To top that off, I'd spent more than half the night at the police station and in emergency hero meetings—both where I was interrogated, and completely unsure how to feel about it.

_It was like everyone was pointing the finger at me... like, this was somehow my fault. _

I'd be a liar if I said all of this wasn't eating at me. I don't know where my little brother is, my older brother has gone completely batshit crazy, and in a room full of heroes, despite what I tell myself, I still feel like a villain.

It makes me feel absolutely worthless. It almost makes me question why I'm even trying to do this in the first place.

The sun was coming up by the time we got back to Bakugou's place. I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was go to sleep and try to shut everything else out.

**Bakugou's Point of View**

_What a fucking night._

Not at all what I was expecting.

I'm worried about Rei. She didn't have much of a reaction to the news about her dad's death—I mean, not that I blame her. I still can't believe what a dick he was to her, even in his final moments. It makes me sick.

_Fuck him. _

A lot happened, but she's had the same blank expression on her face for hours. Its killing me to know that she's feeling awful and there's probably not a goddamn thing I can do to fix it.

"Rei..." I said, as we walked into my bedroom

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?"

I watched as she slowly slipped one of my t-shirts over her head. I assisted her, pulling her long silvery locks out of the back.

"I think so... I don't know. I'm just tired." She replied

"You sure...?"

She went quiet for a moment as she walked towards the bed.

"I have a lot of questions about what happened." She said, finally "But, I don't have the energy to think about anything right now. Can you just cuddle with me?"

I made a face.

"You know I hate that damn word." I grumbled "...But I'll hold you."

I drew the curtains, shrouding the room in darkness before joining her under the covers. I pulled her small frame close to me, allowing her to rest her head in the crook of my neck.

"Fighting alongside you was the most fun I'd had in a long time..." Rei said

_Oh, yeah...That was a first for us outside of training._

"It was pretty fucking sick, wasn't it?"

She nodded.

"Our date was fun too, even though it got interrupted... thanks for hanging out with me."

"You don't have to thank me for hanging out with you, dumbass." I chuckled

"Shut up."

I stroked her soft hair, twirling the ends of it around my fingers. I couldn't stop thinking about how she must be feeling.

"Look—I know you keep saying you're okay, but are you?" I pressed "I'm worried..."

"I don't know. I... I promise you I'll talk to you about everything that happened at some point—but for now, I just need to process it." She said "Also, who _are_ you? Caring about how I feel? Where's Bakugou? I can't seem to find him."

Just when I start to think, hey, maybe she's not completely fucking annoying and the bane of my existence—she proves me wrong.

..._And I still like her._

"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!"

"This just in—" She said "Local Hero Katsuki Bakugou is MIA after last night's events."

"I. WILL. KILL. YOU."

"Psh. As if you could." She laughed

She pulled back a bit and looked up at me, making my heart jump.

_Dammit, is that ever gonna stop happening?_

Her pale-blue eyes had deep bags underneath them.

"Get some sleep, Rei." I said "Please?"

"But I wanna stay up and annoy you..." She said sleepily.

"Yep, you definitely need to take your ass to sleep then."

She closed her eyes, not because she wanted to, I think she just couldn't fight it anymore.

"Kacchan..." She breathed "I'm proud of you..."

My face got hot and tingly.

"Eh? Shut up! Why are you saying that shit all of a sudden?!"

"You always get so angry, well—angrier than usual, around Izuku..."

_Damn Deku...  
__And since when are they on a first name basis?_

"Tch." I sneered "Its because he's a damn—"

"You're amazing." She interrupted "I know he's your rival, Kacchan. Titles and whatever have never really mattered to me, but if they matter to you, I'll never see you as anything but number one..."

My eyes widened. I didn't know what to say. When people say "_You'll always be number one to me_"—I never believe them. I think its just bullshit that people say to pacify me, and I hate it.

Coming from her though, it actually meant something.

_Jesus fucking christ.  
__I care about her opinion of me now?  
Is this what actually liking someone is? Why do people voluntarily do this? Its excruciating._

"Thanks, babe." I whispered

I kissed her forehead. It didn't take long for her to doze off in my arms, and for exhaustion to hit me like a freight train.

* * *

**Reiko's Point of View**

I woke up God knows how many hours later, unable to tell if the last 24 hours of my life had been some sort of fever dream or reality. My mouth was dry and everything felt hazy and surreal. I reached for the glass of water on the nightstand, guzzling it down quickly.

I was trying to collect my thoughts when I noticed my phone wasn't sitting too far from where the glass was.

I picked it up.

_2:17 PM.  
__1 New iMessage from __**Bakugou:  
**__went to the agency. __IF I SEE YOU HERE I'M DRAGGING YOU OUT! __STAY THERE AND GET SOME DAMN REST!_

HAHA—he's funny.

_You think he'd know me better than that by now. _

I showered and got ready. I walked to the agency in somewhat of a hurry. I tried to jog through the lobby, but I ran into Kirishima, who appeared to be on his way out. He showed me his usual toothy grin.

"Rei-chan!"

"Hey, Kirishima-kun. Have you seen Bakugou?"

"Yep, he's in his office working... Um, about last night," He said quietly "Are you... are you alright? I heard the news. I'm sorry about your dad, really."

I shook my head.

I was really hoping that what happened last night was apart of some twisted nightmare, but Kirishima's words slapped me in the face with the harsh reality that it wasn't.

"Don't be. Trust me. I'm okay, all things considered." I said, unsure if that was even true "I wanted to thank you, by the way... for having my back. I know when Bakugou made the decision to take me in or whatever, you didn't have to go along with it, but I'm really glad you did."

I was starting to realize how fucking lucky I am to have anyone in my corner. The few heroes that I have as my supporters... I really need to thank them all.

"What are friends for, right?" He said, warmly "You're a good egg, Rei-chan. Don't forget it. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

I smiled and gave him a tight hug.

"Now, if you'll excuse me—I have a date!"

"WHAT? With who?!"

"Secret!" He waved as he walked off

_Its probably Mina. Who else would it be?_

"Whatever, text me about it later!" I said

"Will do!"

* * *

I burst through the doors of Bakugou's office. He looked up from his desk, but had to do a double take.

"Hey, Rei...wait—WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, DUMBASS?!"

"Uuuugh." I groaned "_Please_ with the yelling. You knew I wasn't going to listen to you and stay in, so don't act surprised that I'm here right now."

"YOU'RE INFURIATING!"

I, of course, started laughing at his wild expression. One of his eyes started to twitch, only making me laugh harder.

"STOP IT!"

"Whatever. You're happy to see me, aren't you?" I asked as I walked towards him.

"No." He grumbled

"Liar."

"DON'T CALL ME A LIAR, IDIOT!"

"DON'T CALL ME AN IDIOT, STUPID!"

"Tch. Just because you're getting quicker with your comebacks doesn't make you better than me, extra." He chuckled "I'm assuming you're here to train?"

I nodded

"Do you have time to join me?" I asked

"Not right now. Maybe later. I have a debriefing with some of the other heroes to go over what happened." He said "How are you feeling, by the way...?"

"I'm fiiine, babe." I said, exasperated

He furrowed his eyebrows, eyeing me suspiciously.

"I _am_." I reassured him "Even if I'm not, its nothing blowing some shit up won't cure."

A wide smirk spread across his handsome face.

"How can I say no to that?" He said "Oh yeah, since when the hell are we calling each other 'babe', eh? Don't think I didn't notice you doing it last night."

Huh, I guess I have been calling him that.  
I don't know... It just feels right. Although, calling him 'babe' feels a lot like referring to a rabid opossum as "cute".

_I'm kidding, of course._

"Don't think I didn't notice you saying it back." I teased

"I don't... mind it exactly." He muttered "Promise me you'll take it easy down in the gym, alright?"

"I will." I lied

He rolled his eyes and came out from behind his desk.

"You're a damn brat." He said, before giving me a quick peck "But, I've got a surprise for you."

_A surprise..?_


	19. 18: Overwhelmed

"𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝

𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚎

𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎'𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚛

𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜."

\- 𝙻𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝙴𝚍𝚎𝚗

18

* * *

He rifled through the papers on his desk for a moment before uncovering a large emerald green folder buried beneath them. He handed to me.

_A gift from Bakugou...? _

_I don't trust it. Its probably gonna explode._

"...Whats this?" I asked, apprehensively

"Just open it, idiot."

My heart began to race a bit. The folder had my name on it in pretty gold letters. I opened it—inside were the following:

1\. A small black planner with blue tabs.

_It matched the colors of my hero gear perfectly._

2\. A calendar page with the month of August printed at the top. Each day had something written in it.

(_in Bakugou's chicken scratch handwriting._)

3\. What looked a lot like a meal plan, or a dietary list of some kind.

4\. A small paper book full of long paragraphs in small font, none of which I particularly felt like reading. The front cover said:

"Provisional Hero License Exam Information Booklet..." I read aloud

My mouth fell open slightly out of shock.

_He thinks I can do this? __He believes in me that much?_

"That folder is going to be your life for the next month." Bakugou said "I will personally train you, teach you, and prepare you for your exam in any way that I can."

"I... What—how..?" I stammered

This is really the last thing I was expecting. I mean, it's everything I want... but I feel terrified all of a sudden.

_Whats going on with me?_

I was almost at a complete loss for words as I gazed up at the man in front of me.

"...Are you sure I'll be ready for that?" I asked quietly

"To be honest with you, I think you're ready now, at least combat wise. But I want you to be _really_ ready—without a doubt. I want you to feel like you're gonna go in and fucking murder it."

What is this? Why the hell do I feel like this?

All I want to do right now is get the fuck out of this room. I want to run away screaming. I can't even... I can't even look at him anymore. I know it makes no sense, but...

_This is all too much for me._

_I don't deserve this. I don't deserve any of this._

"Rei...?"

"Huh?... Sorry. This is great, Kacchan. Really."

He furrowed his eyebrows. I could tell he was disappointed in my reaction.

"It better be, I spent a lot of time putting all this together... So, yeah." He muttered

"Did you pick this out for me?" I asked, pointing to the planner

"Yeah, so what about it?!"

_Why are you so good to me...?_

"Nothing. Thanks... I-I'm gonna go ahead and head down to the gym now, okay?"

**Bakugou's Point of View**

"Okay... Uh, I'll come down and see you when I'm done."

She nodded, grabbed her backpack and left my office.

_What the fuck is up with her? _

Rei is the kind of person that when her mood shifts, it throws the entire energy of the room off. Its creepy and it still messes with me.

_Or maybe her emotions just effect me? Thats even more terrifying._

_I don't know._

Something is really wrong with her. Obviously, I know it has to do with last night, her brothers, her dad—everything that went down. If she's anything like me, which she is, she's gonna either completely shut down, or she's about to push herself way too damn hard.

_Maybe both._

I'm worried about her, but I'm still so busy, not to mention; I'm kinda pissed at her reaction to that folder.

_I... put my heart into it or whatever. _

_SHUTUP!_

I can't balance being a hero and fixing everyones damn problems—I can't even fix my own. I want to help her, but I've gotta trust that she can handle it on her own at least for the next hour and a half.

Maybe she just needs to blow off some steam.

* * *

After finishing up one of my most hectic meetings in a while, for most of which I was ridiculed for even having Rei around, I went to put my laptop back in my office. I'd spent most of the last two hours trying to focus on what's happening, what those creatures were, and why Rei's dad was inside of one.

My mind is plagued with the most intrusive thoughts now—all of which are about her. Its so damn irritating. What makes it worse is the fact that I know, without any fucking doubt, how hard I'm falling for this girl.

My train of thought was interrupted by Iida, who was coming down the hallway at top speed.

"QUIT RUNNING AROUND LIKE THAT, FOUR-EYES! WHO'S GONNA PAY FOR THE DAMAGE WHEN YOU RECIPRO BURST YOUR ASS THROUGH MY FUCKING WALL?!"

He came to a sudden and unexpected halt right in front of me.

"Bakugou-kun." He panted "I got here as fast as I could."

I could see the worry in his eyes.

"What's going on?" I asked

"Well... Reiko-chan, she's..."

"SPIT IT OUT!" I shouted "What about her? Is she okay?"

"I just think you should come down to the gym. Now."

_What the hell is going on?_

I ran ahead and, he followed suit. I was, once again, filled with anxiety because Iida didn't give me any fucking clue as to what was going on, or why I needed to hurry.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, I could see that there was a bit of a crowd gathered around one section of the gym—a section where Rei usually chose to train at.

I couldn't see her yet, but I could hear her so clearly. Her yelling was mixed with the sounds of intense metallic banging. Something was off in her voice, too. It wasn't her usual wild yelling she does so she can create explosions... these cries were painful. I could feel it all the way down to my bones.

I blasted myself towards the crowd.

"MOVE! YOU ASSHOLES ARE JUST STANDING AROUND WHILE SHE'S...?"

I looked up. She was on top of a giant steel, cylinder that I had made to resemble a water tower. She was repeatedly pounding her fists into the metal, bashing it in over and over until it bent and bowed to her strength. I noted that she had the targets activated, but she'd effectively destroyed every last one. Their remains were still smoldering from her attacks.

"REI!" I called out

"I've been trying to get her attention for 10 minutes. Nothing is working." Iida said

I blasted up to her with 2 quick explosions, carefully landing right behind her. She didn't react at all, she merely continued to batter the structure as if I wasn't there. Her knuckles were swollen and bloody. An endless stream of tears was pouring from her eyes, and painful sobs escaped her lips.

"Rei...?"

_Nothing._

"REIKO?"

_Still nothing. _

_Is she ignoring me?_

That was when I remembered the drawback to her quirk. I moved closer to her cautiously, trying desperately to keep my balance as the metal beneath my feet shook violently.

Her ears had been bleeding... dark rivers of caked blood stained either side of her face.

She overused her quirk... a lot.

She can't hear anything at all.

I grabbed her arms and pulled her back. She struggled and jerked about violently to get out of my grasp.

"GET OFF!" She screamed

She tore herself away and faced me.

"K-Kacchan...?"

She reached up and touched her right ear, feeling the blood against her fingertips. Her expression twisted as more tears fell from her eyes.

"I'm here..." I said "Its okay."

She collapsed into my arms. I held her as tight as I could as she let out mournful sobs into my chest.


	20. 19: Wish

"𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜, 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚛𝚑𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚖 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚜."

\- 𝙺𝚒𝚛𝚔 𝙳𝚒𝚎𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚑

19

* * *

"Its okay. Its okay..." I said, knowing she could barely hear me.

I sat her down slowly.

"I can't—I can't be..." She sobbed "I'm sorry... I must look like such a fucking weakling."

_No... never._

"This is... a lot." She continued "Too much is happening and I need to find out where my brothers are—and my dad just..."

_If I could take all of your fucking pain away, I would, angel..._

She looked up, the agony in her eyes tormented me.

"I'm... I'm so sorry Kacchan." She whimpered

"Sorry? For what? Why are you apologizing to me?"

She squinted as she tried to read my lips.

"I-I don't think I can ever be what you need."

"You're already everything that I need..."

_WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST SAY...?_

"Please don't lie to me." She sniffed

"What the hell are you talking about? Its...Its not a lie!"

"OPEN YOUR EYES, KATSUKI!" She cried "I'm a... a villain. Thats how they all see me. Last night in all of those _fucking_ hero meetings, what did they do?"

"They were just—"

"THEY ALL ACTED LIKE I WAS THE PROBLEM! The looks of disgust on their faces, the questions they asked me... it made me feel so worthless."

"SHUT UP! What is this? Why are you talking about yourself like this? S-Stop it! What did we say last night, huh? That you and I were gonna get through this."

I could feel a rage bubbling up inside me from deep in the pit of my stomach. Why is she acting like this? Why can't I fix it?

"They _interrogated_ me like I was some sort of fucking criminal. Its the truth. You know it. You and I... we're just too diff—"

"Don't say it. Don't you dare fucking say it." I spat "IF YOU AND I ARE SO GODDAMN DIFFERENT, WHY DO WE WANT THE SAME THINGS?! I can't even fucking believe the bullshit coming out of your mouth right now." I sneered "Things get tough and you just want to give up? People who talk like that make me fucking sick. How do you expect to become a hero if you're gonna run away every time theres a problem? You're acting like a goddamn child."

A look of disbelief washed over her. She shook her head slowly.

"You're seriously not even going to try to understand where I'm coming from right now? At all? My estranged father just _died_—inside of some fucked up human hybrid flesh suit supposedly created by my _brother_. Not to mention, my other brother is missing... DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT AT ALL? Do you understand...?"

Her voice broke as a few more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You know what? Forget it. Fucking forget it. Okay, Bakugou? I need some air. I'm out."

She stood up and leaped down from the hunk of metal she left behind.

"REI! REI! HEY!" I shouted

_Fuck. Fuck. You idiot. __Why did you blow up at her?_

Her back was to me. There was no way she could hear me, or read my lips. It was like I was really, completely shut out from her... and that made me feel like I could collapse.

* * *

Rei didn't come back that night, not to my place, not to the agency. I didn't get any sleep and by the time morning came—I'd worried myself fucking sick. I had no clue where she was, where she slept. She'd ignored every text and phonecall from me.

_Being without her is... weird. I don't like it._

What if she's off doing something stupid or dangerous? What if something happens to her? I wouldn't be able to live with myself. It would be all my fucking fault. I'd gotten so used to her being by my side in such a short amount of time.

As much as I hate admitting it—I want her here... I want her with me.

"Bakugou? Bakugou! Where are you at, man?" I heard Kirishima's voice call out

I asked him to come over that morning before I lost my mind.

"Back here."

"Woah... you look terrible." He remarked as he waltzed into the living room.

"SHUTUP, IDIOT. I didn't get any sleep. Have you heard from Rei?"

Kirishima plopped down onto a nearby sofa.

"I texted her last night after you told me she bailed. I asked what she was up to, and she said needed time to chill out. She didn't say anything after that."

"Dammit..."

"What the hell happened anyways?" He asked

"I think I really messed up, Kiri. I blew up at her when she was at her weakest and... I said some really stupid shit."

"Okay, okay. Just calm down."

"But I don't know where the hell she is. I don't want her out there by herself...AND YOU'D BETTER NOT TELL ANYBODY ABOUT ME TALKING LIKE THIS—"

"Yeah, yeah... I won't. You know she can protect herself. She probably just needed to take a breather, gather her thoughts and stuff."

"I don't know..." I said "What if she's done? What if that was it for her?"

"You know thats not true. This is Rei-chan we're talking about. You guys just need to talk, she didn't go away forever... Man, I've never seen you like this before."

"WELL, NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN THIS IMPORTANT BEFORE!"

"You need to tell her that... be honest with her about how you feel."

"But thats... I'm not good at that stuff like you are. I don't talk about my feelings and shit."

"Well, you're gonna have to get over that." He shrugged "At least for today. Tell her what you just told me."

I sighed. I know he's right and I fucking hate it.

"I should go find her."

"Well, lets go then. Get dressed." He beamed "Lets get your girl."

He grinned and twirled his car keys around his finger

_Shitty hair, you really are my best friend... dumbass._

* * *

**Reiko's Point of View**

I spent most of the night wandering, riding the train, sitting in the park, and praying for some sort of sign that I was gonna make it out of this swirling darkness in my mind. All I want to do is give up.

You know what sucks the most about this? As pissed off as I am at Bakugou, I still miss him.

_Isn't that annoying? _

His stupid ass had become such a big part of my life... because of him, I had something to look forward to everyday. I hadn't had that in a long time.

A lot of thoughts have entered and left my head since yesterday.

\- Was trying to become a hero even worth it?

\- Maybe I should go back to being a villain.

\- I could try to find my little brother on my own.

\- Should I try to become a hero anyways, but without Bakugou's help?

-Is that even possible?

I did come to one conclusion though. I needed a clear, well thought out plan if I was going to try to find my little brother or defeat my older brother. Running in blindly is stupid and will likely never get you anywhere.

_Bakugou taught me that._

I somehow made my way to Kanda shrine in the morning. Its about 2 subway stops away from the agency. It was pretty quiet this early in the day. I was just gazing up at it at first. It's carvings and colorful paintings were mesmerizing, so beautiful against the day's pale gray sky.

I decided to go up to the main building to pay my respects and make a wish. I pulled the thick rope, making the bell ring out with a loud clang. I clapped my hands twice and closed my eyes.

_Gods, if you're there, or if you can hear me... _

_I know I've done a lot of bad things, and maybe I don't have any more chances. I'm trying really hard to change. If I have any hope left, please, please help me figure out what I'm supposed to do..._

I bowed and turned to leave, but at the bottom of the stairs... there he was. Katsuki Bakugou.

_Damn. That was fast._


	21. 20: Falling

"𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐;

𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚗𝚘."

\- 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜

20.

* * *

The beautiful scarlet eyes that I'd grown to adore so much were fixed upon me, his handsome face was stained with worry and regret. I wasn't even sure if I was ready to talk to him, but damn is he a sight for sore eyes. Seeing him made me feel like everything was going to be okay, even if it was only momentarily.

His halo of champagne colored spikes seemed to sparkle in the daylight.

_My grumpy little ray of sunshine._

"I'm just gonna say what I came to say. You don't have to respond if you don't want to." He murmured

My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest at any moment as I waited for him to speak. His silence was painful, it hung in the air between us and mocked me.

He came a few steps closer and took a deep breath.

"Its really hard for me to talk about stuff like this, but you know that. So, I'm sorry if I'm not doing it right." He began "I'm sorry, okay? I'm really sorry... Dammit, I-I'm sorry for all that stupid shit I said. I get really worked up when it comes to things I care about, so when you're the subject... I just fucking lose it. My temper gets the best of me more than I like to admit, and I know its not an excuse, but... it hurts me to see you hurting. So, when I heard you talking about yourself like that yesterday, I... couldn't take it."

I stood there, utterly dumbfounded. I was so taken aback by actually hearing him actually talk about how he feels.

"Kacchan..."

"I shouldn't have snapped. I should've held it together because you need me. And you're right—we _are_ different, but not as different as you think. I've been in some dark places too, Rei... places I don't ever fucking want to go back to. Maybe sometimes I won't be able to fully understand exactly what you've been through, but I'll try, and I'll for damn sure be here for you no matter what. If you need to cry, to scream... If you just need me to listen, come to me, please. Dammit... I don't know if I'm making any fucking sense. I'm just really sorry..."

The tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down my face. I tried to hold them back, I tried so hard.

"Dammit, Katsuki..." I whispered "You've got some nerve, making me cry this much in 2 days."

"Get over here."

I ran into his arms—my safety, my comfort. I buried my face in his sweatshirt and he wrapped me in his warm embrace.

"I'm sorry too... for running off like that. I just needed space." I whispered "My emotions were on high and I wasn't thinking straight."

"Don't apologize, dumbass... you had every right to be pissed." He said "Look, all I wanted to really say to you was... give yourself some damn credit. You're crazy strong. Don't you remember what you said to me last night?"

"Uh, no... Should I?"

"YES! Christ... You said you were gonna work your ass off until every hero sees you... the way that I see you." He muttered "Don't let things getting tough, make your confidence falter. Push through that shit and come out on top."

_What did I ever do to deserve this guy?_

"I don't know how I can ever repay you, kid. You've done so much for me... you changed everything."

"I hate when you call me kid." He chuckled softly "You don't have to thank me. I'm doing all this because... I believe in you, dammit."

"I know you do, and I know I didn't have the wherewithal to say it yesterday," I sniffed "But that folder you put together means so much to me, Kacchan. It really does."

"...Look at me." He said

I pulled back slightly to gaze up at him. He kissed me, sweetly, deeply. I savored every moment of it.

"The is so damn embarrassing," He mumbled "But... you changed everything for me too. We're gonna get through all of this together, okay? No matter what we have to face, its you and me. Don't forget that."

"As long as you don't forget it either, I won't. Promise."

"I won't. So can we stop with all this mushy shit now?" He asked as he dried my tears with his sleeve

"Yeesss." I groaned "Oh! Wait, one more thing."

His face twisted into a familiar, cute scowl.

"Hrnggg. What?!"

"I'm... pretty sure I'm falling in—"

_Damn my impulse control._

I quickly stopped myself from speaking. His face flushed the rosiest shade of pink.

"Falling in...what?" He asked "W-Were you gonna say love...? HOW DO YOU SAY SHIT LIKE THAT SO CASUALLY?!"

"You think that was casual? Hm." I said with a shrug "I guess I need to work on my delivery. All those years as a villain reaaally takes a toll on the way you address things. How do you know I was gonna say love? I could've said anything."

"BECAUSE WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU HAVE SAID?!"

I shrugged.

"Don't know. Don't care. Lets go."

"HRNGG! YOU'RE INFURIATING! ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH ME OR WHAT?!"

"I don't know, am I?" I teased

"GAAAAHH!"

**Bakugou's Point of View**

_Love, huh?_

_Is she falling in love with me?_

_Am I falling in love with her...?_

She grinned at me and took my hand.

"Wait." I said "If I tell you to stay home today, you'd better listen." I asked

"Mhmm."

"Where the hell were you all night anyways?" I asked "I was worried."

"With Deku."

I almost choked.

"WHAT?!"

She immediately burst into a fit of laughter.

_I CANNOT FUCKING STAND HER._

"Your face!—It was priceless." She said between laughs "Worth it!"

"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!"

"Suuure I am."

"Tch." I scoffed "Like you would hang out with that damn nerd. He's not your type."

"Oh, really? How can you be so sure?" She asked, raising an eyebrow "And how do you know my type?!"

_No. No way she'd ever be interested in that bastard._

"You're joking, right?" I laughed at how preposterous it was "You're saying that, if there was no me, and Deku asked you to go on a date, you'd say yes?"

She shrugged

"I don't see why not."

"BU—WHAT!? I—WHY?!"

"Are you getting jealous, Bakugou?" She teased, trying to stifle her laughter "Its cute."

"NO! AND DON'T CALL ME CUTE!" I shouted "Stop messing with me, dammit. We're going home."

* * *

"Hey... Do you have to go in today?" Rei asked as we walked through my front door.

"Uh, why?"

"I was just thinking it'd be cool if you stayed home with me today." She shrugged "But you don't have to."

"I guess the work I have to finish is nothing I can't do from my laptop... So, fine. I'll stay. " I said "Today is your only day off, by the way, extra. Tomorrow is the first day of preparation for y—"

"Yeah, tomorrow. So why don't you choose today to shut up about it." She joked

"YOU LITTLE—"

I ran after her and scooped her up in my arms, causing her to let out a loud yelp.

"Put me down!" She giggled "You're so goddamn annoying!"

I tackled her, pinning her down on my couch.

**Reiko's Point of View**

"Get oooff!" I whined

"Nope."

He cuddled closer to me, resting his body against mine. Having him so near to me again, his weight, his high body temperature—him. He was making my body react in a way that I didn't expect it to.

"This is your punishment for being a fucking brat." He said "Plus, I kinda... missed you last night."

_He did..?_

"Oh, just kinda?" I asked playfully

"Yeah. Everything's weird when you're not around." He said, sleepily "Its a damn pain."

Bakugou squeezed my waist tighter. I could feel the firmness of his abs pressing up against my side. I inhaled sharply, trying desperately to hide the way I was feeling from him. I just wanted us to both get some rest. I was up all night, and so was he.

_But I want him, bad._

I could feel my body temperature starting to rise along with my heart rate. His every motion was driving me up a wall.

"Whats up with you? Why are you all tense?" He asked

_Shit!_

"I—uh..." I stammered "I'm not!"

He chuckled softly, giving me that heart-melting, crooked smirk of his that makes my knees weak.

"I'm not stupid. You think I don't know your body?" He asked "Just like how I know you like it when I bite you here..."

He sunk his teeth into the skin where my shoulder meets my neck. His bites melted into kisses, which he trailed up to my lips. He rested his forehead against mine.

"You're _mine_." He whispered "No one elses, you got that, extra?"


	22. 21: Tease

"𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜

𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚞𝚕

𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚗."

\- 𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝

21.

[**WARNING**: The following chapter is rated M for sexual content.]

* * *

My heart jumped at those words. I quickly nodded in reply.

"I held back a lot last time we did this. I'm not usually so... so damn gentle, but I didn't want to scare you."

_Scare me?_

_He's so funny with that. _

"Don't hold back this time." I said "You don't scare me, explosion boy. I can handle you."

His handsome face suddenly displayed a mischievous grin.

"You're gonna eat those fucking words." He hissed

"Not if I make you eat them first. Remember how strong you keep telling me I am?" I asked slyly

I switched our positions with ease, pinning him down beneath my instead.

"Wha—HEY! You think you can just—"

"I promise, I'll let you take control after I finish, okay? Just let me do this..."

I crashed my lips into his, entangling us in desperate kisses as I teased him, moving my hips back and forth. I allowed myself to graze over the growing bulge in his jeans.

"Hrnng. You think you can beat me? You can't just..."

I was already pulling his jeans and boxers down. I was just so hungry for him, so impatient. I didn't want to wait to please him. I gave him a sexy smirk, before I began to place kisses over his long, smooth length. He let out a grunt through clenched teeth.

"Dammit... you've got some nerve... being such a fucking... tease—AH!"

I slowly licked him, all the way up from the base to the tip before taking him into my mouth completely.

"Baby... _fuck_..."

I took my time, slowly making sure he could feel what I was doing. Having him like this... it was making my mind go blank, like I was in a trance.

"I didn't think..." He grunted "Mm... That you'd do this. You damn... brat..."

I heard the familiar sound of his moans mixed with his quirk activating, small pops and sizzles emanated from his hands as I continued...

"You really... thought... I'd let you stay in control?" He asked breathlessly

My breath hitched in my throat.

_Whats with that tone of voice...? _

It made all my hairs stand on end with this sensation of fear and excitement.

"What were you saying earlier, huh? About... _Deku_. Could that damn nerd do this to you?"

He placed one hand on the back of my head, guiding me up and down on him. He began to push himself up, forcing himself deeper into my mouth, letting out these primal growls and grunts. He didn't seem satisfied unless he was hitting the back of my throat.

I loved every second of it.

"Just like that... oh, fuck..." He grunted

He grabbed either side of my jaw, and began bucking his hips forward harder, fucking my face... making me choke and gag on his throbbing manhood.

"You like that...?" He asked breathlessly.

The lewd smirk on his face combined with the hint of blush on his cheeks made me feel weak. I did the best I could to nod for him.

"Mm... Look at me." He ordered "Look at me, dammit..."

I did as he said.

"You're so goddamn beautiful, angel..." He whispered "Are you gonna be a good girl for me, baby?"

He pulled me off of him so I could answer. I took in a big breath of air, coughing and sputtering for a few seconds.

"Y-yes..." I whimpered

"Look at that face..." He said, marveling at me "You're practically begging for it, aren't you? Hmph. You're such a dumbass... but so fucking pretty..."

"Katsuki... wha—"

"I'm not gonna make this easy for you, you know that right?"

"Don't."

It was as if that one word that I said made him moan, it completely slipped out without his permission. He looked down at his hands, the were glowing like hot coals. Another wide, devilish grin crept onto his face.

"Fuck, you shouldn't have teased me like that earlier, babe... Look what you did to me." He looked down at his cock, which was still twitching in front of me, teasing me "You know how addicted I am to you... and that hot little fucking body you've got."

I started to drool.

"You want it that bad...?" He asked "I guess I can oblige you, then."

I was suddenly picked up once more, he kissed me hungrily, whispering lewd, wonderful things to me between each sultry kiss. He stood, this time, though... he took me over to his dining table. With one swipe, he cleared the table of most of it's dishes, sending them crashing to the ground.

"Bend over." He demanded

I did as he said. He pulled my panties down slowly, agonizingly. His rough hands groped me all over, he gave my ass a light smack.

"Such an obedient girl..." He growled, pressing his lips against my ear "Mm... I love the way your body reacts to me."

I felt his fingers slip inside of me.

"AH!" I yelped

He let out another low, husky grunt as I squirmed about in his arms.

"See? You're tensing up around me..." He whispered "You're so damn sexy when you're embarrassed... seeing you like this, barely able to speak, is so different from how you are normally..."

_Bastard._

_How does he do this to me..?_

"Kacchan... please... I can't..." I was already getting dizzy

"Woah, woah..." He chuckled darkly as he reacted quickly to catch me "Your knees buckled from just that?"

"This... this isn't fair! I wanted to—"

"Shutup... dumbass..."

Without any warning, he thrusted himself inside of me. I nearly fucking lost it.

"You're so... fucking tight...fuck..."

He had me at this perfect angle, every thrust hit just the right spot. I slapped a hand over my mouth to muffle my cries, but it barely did any justice. He wrapped my hair around his fist and pulled it, forcing me to look up at him.

"You're... so... fucking... perfect..." He said, through clenched teeth "You like that... hm? Being fucked by a hero? By your man?"

I moaned for him. His thrusts grew faster.

_If he keeps hitting that spot... I won't be able to—_

I couldn't hold on anymore.

"Fuck, Katsuki... I'm gonna—"

"Say my name while you fucking cum, dammit..."

"K-Ka..chh..." Was all I could manage.

I was hit with this earth shattering orgasm. I became completely undone, I wasn't sure if my legs would hold me up anymore, they were trembling so badly. But he didn't stop.

"FUCK!" He cried out

His grunts got louder and louder, like a fucking animal.

"Kacchan..." I moaned "Don't stop..."

"I'm so... fucking... in love with you..." He moaned breathlessly "I can't take anymore... Its too damn much... I'm gonna—"

_He's what..._?

"I'm gonna cum..."

He stifled his moan as he came by kissing me, allowing it to become a series of sweet hums on my lips.

* * *

[**postscript**]  
thank you all so much for your messages—I'm so happy you guys are enjoying it. Stay tuned (:


	23. 22: Yearbook

"𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎

𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞,

𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘𝚘.

𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎."

\- 𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚑 𝚁𝚊𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚛

22.

* * *

I tried not to bring up the fact that Bakugou definitely told me he loved me. I know what I heard, but I'll let him say it again on his own before I do anything.

We took a much needed nap, but the rest of the day consisted of us staying right where we were on the couch. We spent a lot of time talking and learning things about each other. He's pretty interesting, once you get past his prickly exterior.

_What can I say? The guy fascinates me. I love getting to know all the layers that make up Katsuki Bakugou. He's like an onion or something._

I did some snooping while he was rummaging around in the kitchen later that afternoon. I was overjoyed when I found a stack of old yearbooks tucked away on a high shelf.

_Jaaackpot!_

"Look what I found!" I rejoiced, waving the books around in the air

"Shit..." He grumbled "Whatever. You'd better not laugh at a single damn picture of me!"

"You know I will." I said in a sing-song voice

I picked the one from his freshman year out, eager to see his picture. The U.A. High Yearbooks were so official looking. Deep navy blue, leather-bound and embossed with the famous gold emblem. I opened it carefully, hearing the spine creak. I began to curiously flip through the pages.

"Class 1-A... Katsuki Bakugou. There you are."

_Kawaiii_...

He looked _so_ young, absolutely fucking adorable. He sported a familiar sly grin and eyes full of mischief. He wore his school uniform, red tie and all. He looks more or less the same now, but his features are sharper—more manly. It seems like he kept his hair longer back then too. His ash-blonde spikes are still super fluffy, his hair is just a tiny bit shorter on the sides now for a more mature look.

"Look at how cute!" I gushed "Chouuu kawaii..."

He returned to the couch with a bright red bag full of extra-spicy, chili flavored potato chips.

_Of course. How fitting._

"I'M NOT CUTE! I was a fucking mess back then." He laughed

"What do you think you are now?" I joked

"SHUTUP EXTRA! I'm just saying—If you think I'm crazy now, you should've met 15 year old Katsuki. I was out of my mind."

"I don't know. I think 15 year old Katsuki and 15 year old Rei might've gotten along."

There was a brief silence between us as we had time to think through that phrase.

"...Nah." We said in unison

"Yeah, now that I rethink that, we probably would've just blown each other up."

"Oh, absolutely. Along with our surroundings." He agreed "A fight to the damn death, easily."

I continued to look at the pictures, seeing so many young familiar faces of heroes I know now. Todoroki, Deku, Iida, Denki, Sero... all so young, so wide-eyed and hopeful.

"Kirishima!" I beamed, pointing to his picture. He was wearing his big, typical grin but it was on a baby-faced Kiri. His spikes were so long back then. He still keeps his hair spiky and the same shade of bright red—its just way, way shorter now.

"Mhmm. His hair has gotten better since then, which isn't saying much." Bakugou commented

"You're rude."

I flipped through a few more pages, eventually landing on the class superlatives section.

"Katsuki Bakugou: ANGRIEST?!" I cackled

I spotted a picture of an angsty teenage Bakugou leaning up against a brick wall.

"It wasn't even a real damn category! Those nerds just thought it would be sooo fucking funny to make one up for me."

"I—" I paused to laugh "It is pretty funny."

"This is bullshit, I haven't seen any embarrassing pictures of you."

I rolled my eyes and picked up my phone. I scrolled through the camera roll for a minute before finding the shot I was looking for.

**Bakugou's Point of View**

"Here." She said as she held the phone up

I yanked the phone out of her hand. A picture of a much younger Reiko appeared onscreen. Something was different. She seemed like a different person compared to the girl in front of me now. She had long bangs, cut straight across, nearly covering her eyes.

"HA! How old were you in this?"

"Maybe about 16?" She guessed

I smirked at her.

"Adorable brat. Nice bangs, loser."

"Shut up. I thought they were cool." She said "Also—How is it that you know alllll about my parents and my family drama, but I don't know shit about yours?"

_She wants to know about my parents? _

_Weirdo._

"The old hag and the old man?"

"Kacchan, please tell me thats not how you refer to your parents."

"Sorry to disappoint you. Theres not much to tell. I love them, but they're pretty damn boring." I replied with a shrug

"Go on." She insisted

"Ugh... Do we really have to do this?"

"_Yes_."

"Fine." I groaned

I opened the drawer in my coffee table and pulled out a picture I had thrown on top. Its of my parents holding me when I was little.

"Please don't fucking start about how I'm cu—"

"AHHH! Baby Kacchan!" She beamed "So small! So cute! Such a big head... Yikes."

"SHUT UP YOU IDIOT! I JUST SAID DON'T START! ...Those are my parents. My mom's name is Mitsuki." I pointed to her "Her quirk is Glycerin sweat... As much as I hate to admit it—we're a lot alike. Both in looks and personality."

"So pretty..."

Rei was leaning into the conversation. She actually seemed really interested in what I'm saying about my parents, which was odd to me. I guess I'm not used to a girl being interested in my background details.

"And thats my dad—Masaru. He's kind of a pushover, and he's not all that memorable. His quirk is Acid sweat..."

"Huh, and they made you, with your Nitroglycerin sweat. That's pretty amazing."

"I am, aren't I?"

"Meh. You're okay." She shrugged "They seem sweet."

"SHUTUP! Well... Maybe I'll take you to meet them sometime soon."

_What the fuck?! I swear to god, the things that come out of my mouth when I'm around this damn girl..._

"Really?" She asked, the shock in her voice was as obvious as ever.

"Y-Yeah, whatever." I stuttered, trying desperately to change the subject "...Have you heard anything from either of your brothers?"

Her face fell suddenly and she shook her head.

"No. Nothing. I've been trying to text and call Reiji, but his phones been off since that night. And who the fuck knows where Ichiro is."

Rei turned her gaze to the window, once again becoming mesmerized by the view.

"Tell me about them..."

She took a deep breath.

"...Reiji is only 13. I guess he's pretty much the same as any other 13 year old, but a villain...? He's only my half-brother—his mom was my dads second wife, but I've known him since he was a baby. So, we're close. All he's ever known is being a villain. I used to think that he'd change his mind and want to do something else, maybe go out on his own, or even follow me, but I'm not so sure anymore."

Her expression echoed the fact that she was deep in thought.

"And Ichiro?" I asked

"Ichi is... complicated. When we were little, we were best friends—back when we lived with my mom. There was a lot of drama between her and my dad before they actually split legally, which ended in him getting custody of Ichiro but not me. I didn't see him again until after my mom died, about a year later. He was completely different... his eyes were cold. He never said a nice word to me again."

I was doing some thinking myself. I know being taken away from their mom, which was followed by her death shortly after, definitely had a big effect on him, and given what a fucking prick their dad was...

_Anything is possible. Who knows what happened to him during that year they were apart?_

"Sorry this is so much to take in, my family is a fucking nightmare."

"Its fine. I'm just thinking." I said "Your family _is _a shitshow though."

"Thanks." She replied, sarcastically "Okay—craziest thing thats ever happened to you, on three. 1...2...3!"

"I got kidnapped once." We said in unison

We exchanged bewildered expressions.

"Who kidnapped you?!"

"WHO KIDNAPPED _YOU_?!"

"You first!" She demanded

"The League of fucking Villains." I grimaced

"Wait, that was _you_?" She asked in disbelief

_Hold on..._

I squinted at her and put my bag of chips down.

"What exactly do you mean 'that was you'?!" I asked

"Uhh... Well, I _was_ a villain at that time. Everyone knew about that incident. I just can't believe that the kid in the rumor was... you. Thats insane."

"Hmph." I chuckled proudly "Definitely not my best moment, but you know you're good when even the damn villains want you to join."

"And they had really high hopes for you." She said "Trust me. Could you imagine if this was the other way around, and you were approaching me to join the dark side?"

"Tch, like that'd ever happen."

_The fact that The League even thought that I'd ever consider joining them still messes with me sometimes._

"You never know. Alternate universes and all that."

"You're such a damn weirdo, Rei."

"This is true... you like me though." She laughed playfully

"Yeah, so what about it?"


	24. 23: Call

"𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎,

𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚝." - 𝚛.𝚑. 𝚜𝚒𝚗

23.

* * *

"Well, I mean they did ask me for a reason." I noted "—which reminds me... the night we met, what made you decide, right then, that you were done?"

She tilted her head and looked up at me with those big, curious, blue eyes.

"I wish I had a better answer for you, but the truth is... I really lack impulse control."

"No shit!"

She rolled her eyes and gave me the finger.

"I knew for a long time that I was done being a villain, I told you that, but... I don't know. I guess it was something about you."

"What about me...?" I asked quietly

"You're actually curious?"

"Shut the hell up." I hissed "I... I know I'm not always easy to get along with, okay? I can be a little... intense. So, why?"

"...Well, it wasn't immediately. It was after I went to the police station, when you asked me about proving myself. You gave me a chance when you didn't have to, when it was actually huge risk for you. That alone shows how selfless you are." She began, the sincerity in her eyes made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "I liked that theres a little darkness in you. You can be a bit abrasive—but I like that too. You fight like a fucking animal. You challenge me, my thoughts. You're smart, strong... you're the first person in a long, long time to make me feel protected. Its why I like you so much."

_Fuck_.

My heart felt like it was going to burst at any second. No one had ever said shit like that to describe me. Maybe they'd say those things about Kirishima or Deku. Not me. I'm so used to being seen as the bad guy that... I guess its nice to hear.

_I love making you feel safe._

_I love it_.

"Dammit... I hate that you make me say and do things that are so embarrassing." I muttered

A mischievous smile spread across her beautiful face.

Seeing her smile like that made my whole body feel like it was being shocked with tiny points of electricity. She threw her arms around me and quickly knocked us both backwards. I held her small frame in my arms, taking in her sweet scent...

"Its... scary as hell feeling like this about you." I admitted

She nodded.

"It is... Sometimes it's absolutely terrifying." She agreed

"Don't go telling people I... I can be like this, okay?Not a goddamn word out of you." I warned

"You always say that like I'd be cool with you doing the same thing. I'm a former villain, I can't have people thinking I'm soft." She laughed "Your turn. Tell me why... of all the girls in the world who are dying to be with the number two hero, Bakugou Katsuki, why the fuck would you choose to fall for a train wreck like me?"

_Its not like I had a choice. It just happened._

"I've never met anyone like you." I said, simply, without even really thinking about it "You make me want to be...better. I wish I could explain it properly... dammit."

_I'm not as good with words as she is. _

"Its okay. What you said... it'll do. Thank you."

I kissed her forehead.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on." I said "You never told me who kidnapped you!"

"OH! My ex boyfriend."

"WHAT?! WHEN ARE YOU GONNA TELL ME WHO THAT BASTARD IS?!" I shouted "I'LL KILL HIM!"

She shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. All that matters is you and me right now."

"You know if I ever find out who he is, I'm gonna blast him to fucking shreds."

"I know, you will." She groaned "I know."

* * *

**Rei's Point of View**

The rest of the evening consisted of more of the same. Just talking—and he made me dinner. Yes, Bakugou cooks.

_Really, really well, might I add_.

And, just like that, a day that started off pretty miserably, ended with me falling asleep in his arms.

That night, I woke up from some sort of nightmare in a cold sweat. I groped around in the dark to try to find my phone.

_3:57 AM._

After I caught my breath... I started to panic again almost immediately. I frantically tried to call my little brother's phone again—it was still off. I was getting more and more worried about him by the second.

* * *

I don't know how the hell I managed to fall asleep again, but I was rudely, and all too suddenly, awakened by Bakugou, who was screaming at me through a fucking bullhorn.

"WAKE UP, EXTRA!"

I jumped so hard I fell off of the couch, causing my body to collide with the cold hardwood floor. This, of course, was the most disorienting thing to happen to someone who just opened their eyes from a dead sleep.

"What the fuck, Kacchan?!" I groaned sleepily as I peeled myself up from the ground "Why—?!"

"ON YOUR FEET, DUMBASS!"

I rubbed my eyes and took a second to actually look at him. He was completely dressed—he wore a black hoodie and pants with running shoes.

_When did he even get up?!_

I noticed that it was still dark outside.

"What time is it?"

"5 AM!"

_This motherfucker is crazy._

_I'm going back to sleep._

"Psh. In that case—"

I hopped back onto the couch and threw the covers back over my head.

"I SAID WAKE—"

The blanket was almost immediately whipped away from me. Bakugou picked me up and stood me up manually, unfolding me like I was a beach chair.

"—THE FUCK UP, EXTRA!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!" I exclaimed, annoyed "WHAT IS ALL THIS?!"

"TODAY IS YOUR FIRST DAY OF TRAINING FOR YOUR PROVISIONAL HERO LICENSE, DUMBASS! SO, CHANGE THAT ATTITUDE _NOW_."

"FINE! But is the bullhorn really necessary?! You're already so damn lo—"

"YES, THE BULLHORN IS NECESSARY! YOU NEED TO BE DRESSED WITHIN THE NEXT 10 MINUTES, OR ELSE, YOU GOT THAT?" He yelled "WE'RE HEADING IN TO THE AGENCY TO TRAIN FOR AN HOUR, OR ACTUALLY, FOR AS LONG AS I FEEL LIKE IT, THEN YOU'LL HIT THE SHOWERS, THEN YOU HAVE A LESSON!"

_Why does he always have to do the absolute most?_

"Okay, okay! I'm up. Please stop shout

"YOUR TIMER IS GOING—9 MINUTES!"

I stood there, staring at him in disbelief. Is he serious?

"MOVE IT! GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR, KOWAI-CHAN!" He yelled "You get no special treatment from me just because we're together, either. If anything, I'm gonna be 100x harder on you for that reason."

_He's going to actually kill me._

_HOLD ON—_

"Wait, _together? _Clarify."

"DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, EXTRA! GO!"

I hurriedly ran to his bedroom to change. I threw my hair up into a quick bun, grabbed my backpack and went back to the living room.

"Your timing could be better." He remarked "Put this on."

He was holding a motorcycle helmet out to me. It was all matte black and had a reflective shield.

"A motorcycle helmet? You have a motorcycle?" I asked as I took it from him

"Of course I do." He replied, grabbing another helmet that matched the first "Lets go."

* * *

I'd ridden on the back of a motorcycle before, but _never_ quite like that. Bakugou is fearless, so put him on a sport bike and you've got yourself a regular fucking daredevil.

He wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't going to go easy on me. He made me do drill after drill. There were so many parts of being a hero that I never really considered. You have to make so many split second decisions, decisions that could cost someones, or several people's lives—including your own. It's stressful, its scary, but I love it. I'm ready for it.

"TIME!" He shouted

I fell to my knees and slammed my fist on the ground.

"Dammit." I spat

"You're close." He added

"But close isn't gonna save the kids in this drill."

"Also true." He said "Take 5. Get some water, okay?"

I nodded and walked off to the side where my water bottle was. Next to it was my phone, which was mid-ring as I looked down at it.

"Blocked...?" I said aloud as I read the screen

Who would be calling me from a blocked number.

Wait—could it be...?

I scrambled to get it into my hands.

"Hello?"

"Onee-san, its Reiji."

When I heard those words, it felt like I had finally exhaled for the first time in 2 days.


	25. 24: Human

"𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝  
𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔  
𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎.

\- 𝙲.𝙱.

24.

* * *

"HOLY SHIT, DUDE! Where the hell have you been? I COULD KILL YOU! I was worried sick. I've been trying to call, whats going on?!"

Words and questions couldn't stop spilling from my mouth. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Bakugou hurriedly making his way over to me. So, I put the phone on speaker.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I needed to get out of dodge before I gave you a call. I went underground after I found out about what Ichiro did to Dad..."

I know him and my dad were close... his death must be really hard for Reiji. Its making me feel even worse about not being able to be there to comfort him.

"I... I'm really sorry about dad, Reiji-kun."

"Yeah, thanks..." He murmured "Sorry I went MIA. I've been with the Yoshinori family."

_Not surprised._

I don't want him with them, but I know they'll protect him—care for him like he's their own.

"Okay, as long as you're safe. What the hell is going on with Ichiro?"

"Man, I wish I knew. When he came to get dad the other day, he was going on and on about how villains need to open their eyes and see the error of their ways? I don't know, typical Ichiro bullshit. But then, he started talking about some 'new race of heroes' and thats where he lost me."

"New race of heroes...?" I asked, confused

"Exactly. I don't get it either. He said him and dad were working together on something and that I should join them, but I said no. I didn't even understand the concept. He got really pissed off and went on this long rant that made no sense."

"Tch, bastard. Thank God you said no. You probably would've ended up dead too if you hadn't. I just don't understand why he'd kill dad... I thought he was Ichiro's whole world."

"I don't know. He's gone, Reiko-chan. The look in his eyes... that wasn't Ichiro. And I know our version of Ichiro is pretty bad as it is, but this was different. I-I could kill him myself for doing this."

He sniffed and his voice began to shake.

_God I wish I could be there._

"I'm gonna find him, and I'm gonna stop him, okay? I'll kill him if I have to. I promise you that, Reiji-kun."

"Be careful, onee-san. He's... different now." He warned

"Nothing I can't handle." I reassured him "So, I guess... I'm not gonna see you for a while, am I?"

"Probably not. But, as soon as I can, I'll let you know. I'll text you once the Yoshinori's set me up with a new phone."

"_Promise_ me."

He sucked his teeth.

"I promise, onee-san." He groaned

"You were so much nicer when you were little, you know that? Cuter too."

"Shutup." He laughed "I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay, kid. Love you."

"Love you too, be safe."

He hung up.

_At least I can breathe now, sort of._

"I'm happy for you, nerd." Bakugou said with a crooked grin "I'm glad he's okay."

"Thanks. Me too."

"Who are the Yoshinori's?" He asked

"They're close friends of my dads. They're the lowest of the low—a family of villains and criminals with Yakuza ties. They're old money."

He made a face.

"I know what you're thinking, but they'll take care of him." I sighed "I know they will."

"Good, then. No time to waste. Lets get back to it." He said "We'll look more into your older brother later, see if we can get anywhere on predicting his next moves. The results from the lab samples should be in by now."

I nodded.

* * *

Bakugou and I finished up not too long after that. We immediately went into a lesson that eventually just turned into the two of us digging up information on Ichiro.

"Does he have any weird places he likes to hang out? Seems like the type..."

"I don't know, really. To be honest, I don't know much about Ichiro other than the fact that he's an asshole." I replied

Bakugou stifled a laugh as an intern walked into the office. She handed him a big yellow envelope. It was stamped with the word "confidential" in bold red lettering.

"Lab results, Bakugou-sama."

"Thanks." He said

We hurriedly scrambled to open it as she left the room.

"The Analysis Laboratory of Forensic Science has determined the following information regarding sample number 0671104C..." I read aloud "Human tissue...?"

Bakugou and I exchanged worried glances before continuing to read.

"Tissue identified as having DNA from multiple different human subjects..." He read

"Wait, wait. So, those things _did_ come from human flesh...?" I said "But, if thats the case, why was my dad inside of one of the creatures? All the other ones were just full of guts... or whatever the fuck that was."

"No idea... I mean, if he's gotten as far as engineering human tissue, tissue of people with rare or interesting quirks..."

"He's taking people and using them to create... whatever the hell those things were?"

I felt absolutely disgusted. My stomach lurched.

_Ichiro...why?_

"This makes me fucking sick... what the hell kind of person would do something like that?" Bakugou spat

"Reiji was right... This is a whole new level of fucked up, even for him."

"And who knows how he's doing it? Is he taking whole humans, or just parts? Cells? He must have a team or something—no way he's doing this shit alone."

"Probably. If he's using humans to create these things... where is he getting them?" I asked "I haven't heard anything about people going missing."

"He could be pulling from groups of the relatively unseen—prostitutes, low level criminals, homeless people, drifters. People with no ties."

"People no one would think to look for..." I thought aloud "But why? Why? What the fuck is he thinking?"

"I don't know... but we have no leads. Not a damn single one. Nobody knows where he's operating from."

"So, what? We just sit here and do nothing?"

He shook his head.

"What did I _just_ teach you, dumbass? You don't go running around blindly without a plan. That psycho just killed your dad, and probably would have killed your little brother if he went along with it—he won't hesitate to kill you too, and I can't..." He paused for a second "I can't fucking risk losing you."

The worry in his eyes was unnerving. I took his hand in mine, holding it tight.

"I can beat him, Katsuki."

"I know you can. But we need more information, and right now, we don't have enough. We either need to wait for him to make another move, or wait for the police to come to us with some leads we can follow up on—whichever happens first. And believe me, I'm gonna be on their asses about this."

_I know he's right, but I'm just so fucking furious._

"Oi... you listening?"

I nodded.

"I know this is a shitty situation, but don't let this distract you from your goal, okay?" He said "Your provisional hero license exam is in a month. You _need_ to be ready. Your family has taken enough away from you, don't let them take this too."

_When he puts it like that..._

I took a deep breath, struggling to calm myself down. I looked up at him, in all of his scowl-faced, ash-blonde glory—still wholly puzzled as to why he's so good to me. He could explain it a hundred times, and I still wouldn't understand.

"What would I do without you?"

He smirked.

"What can I say? I'm the best." He replied smugly

I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, at getting on my last nerve." I muttered

"WHAT WAS THAT, EXTRA?! 100 PUSH UPS, NOW!"

"What?! No!"

Bakugou tugged on a black string that was tucked into his hoodie, pulling out a shiny, silver whistle—which he proceeded to blow into. It let out the most shrill, irritating chirp.

"When the hell did you get a whistle?!"

"PUSH UPS—_NOW_, DUMBASS! DO YOU WANNA BE A HERO, OR DO YOU WANNA RUN YOUR DAMN MOUTH?!"

"Kacchan, yell at me again and I'll—"

He blew the whistle.

"ARE YOU BACK TALKING YOUR TRAINER?!" He shouted "DON'T MAKE ME CHANGE IT TO 200 PUSH UPS!"

_Remind me why I like him again?_


	26. 25: Outing

"𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞

𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍."

\- 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜

25.

* * *

Over the next 2 weeks, Bakugou nearly killed me with training. We were in the gym together every single day.

_I'm also pretty much deaf between his constant yelling and that stupid ass whistle. _

_But its fine._

As sore, tired and annoyed as I was, I loved being his student. He pushed me to go beyond any limits I thought I had. He wants me to be in the best physical and mental shape possible in order to pass. The mental part is a bit more difficult for me, but I did notice that my thought process was beginning to change—I was starting to think more like a hero.

However, I quickly realized that I was not going to pass the written portion of the exam if Bakugou was tutoring me. His style of teaching is: Yelling.

"WHAT DON'T YOU GET, IDIOT?!"

Then, getting frustrated when he has to re-explain anything, and yelling some more.

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU THE DAMN ANSWER IS 2,007!"

This usually ends in me telling him off.

"You can't seriously expect me to want to learn from you if you're gonna act like a jackass the whole time."

That would usually irritate him more.

"I WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE A JACKASS IF YOU'D JUST LISTEN!"

Then we'd start fighting.

"SO, YOU JUST DON'T WANT ME TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS?!"

"YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO ASK ANY GODDAMN QUESTIONS IF YOU JUST LISTENED THE FIRST TIME!"

"YOU ARE SO FUCKING ANNOYING!"

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

So, after about 3 days of us nearly blowing up the agency, we came up with a solution. He enlisted the help of Kirishima, Eraserhead, and All-Might. They began tutoring me on everything I'd need to know for the written test, and it was going great.

There have been a few small leads on what's happening with Ichiro, which we're staying on top of, but still no word on where he's located. He hasn't made any moves, nor have their been any more reported missing persons cases. I've got the worst gut feeling about all of it though. I can't shake the thought that this is just the calm before the storm—and that all hell is gonna break lose when we least expect it.

On another note, Bakugou never brought up the fact that he told me he loved me, and neither did I. I'm not even sure he realizes that he said it. I'd been thinking about it a lot, well, when theres room in my brain to think about it. I know I'm falling in love, and falling fast. I like what we have, but I still don't know what it is.

_Is he my boyfriend? _

_I don't know how to answer that. _

_He's my... something. He's my everything._

* * *

"Take 5!" Bakugou yelled from below

I looked down at him from the cliff structure I was perched up on.

"Why?! Things were... just... getting good!" I called down, breathlessly

I quickly thought back to something All-Might had mentioned in one of our lessons.

"_One of the most important parts of being a hero is knowing when to take a break and recharge. You can't take care of others if you don't take care of yourself._"

I jumped up, being sure to come down extra hard on my feet. My heavy boots met with the rocky surface, creating a loud thud that echoed through the gym. I used the sound from the echo to make a couple of explosions to steady myself as I leapt down.

"Have I told you how goddamn amazing you're doing, babe?" He said

"Is Katsuki Bakugou _complimenting_ me?" I joked

"Shut up before I take it back." He grumbled

I laughed

"I'm kidding. Thank you, Kacchan."

I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as he handed me my water bottle.

**Bakugou's Point of View**

"Hey, uh... tonight, some of the extras are going out. They invited us. I said no, but Kirishima is bugging the shit out of me about it. Do you wanna go?"

She shrugged

"Sure, sounds fun."

"Dammit. I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

"Oh, come on. You seriously need to relax sometimes, Kacchan. I've been working my ass off and I deserve a break. So do you."

She grinned at me, causing a smile to unwillingly break out across my face.

"Fine. Whatever. We'll go."

I really don't understand the way Rei changes her mood so dramatically. She can go from the most abysmal sadness, to having the brightest smile in the room instantly. Its probably her only real "villainous" quality, she's kinda manic.

_I don't get it—but I like it._

* * *

I swear, there aren't enough hours in the goddamn day. Rei and I accomplished a lot, but still not nearly everything I wanted to get done.

I was in my room, silently griping to myself about what a fucking pain it is to be going out tonight, while simultaneously trying to loosen up because I know Rei wants me to.

_Its not working._

I fastened the last button on my shirt and took one more look at myself in the mirror.

"Ready, Kacchan?"

"Yeah, I guess—"

I caught a glimpse of Rei's reflection in the mirror and my heart jumped into my throat.

The first thing I noticed was her hair, it was in two big silver buns, one on either side of her head. She wore a form fitting black dress that hugged her curves in all of the right ways, and black leather platform boots with lots of silver buckles. They made her taller, but she was still short as hell.

_Fuck, the things this girl does to me..._

I walked over to her, and slid my arms around her waist.

"_Goddamn_... Do we have to go out, or can we just skip to what comes after?" I hissed into her ear

"Nice try, explosion boy, but keep it in your pants." She laughed "We'll see what comes after, if you're good."

I rolled my eyes. She fixed the collar of my shirt and kissed me.

"Lets go! We're gonna be late."

**Reiko's Point of View**

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little nervous about tonight. I mean, I know quite a few of Bakugou's friends, but not all of them. We're going out drinking with mostly everyone from Class 1-A, plus a few other heroes. Who knows what'll happen?

Plus, what if some of them are the heroes who... lost faith in Bakugou after he started working with me...?

_Wait—shit. We also never discussed what we're going as. Do we act like we're together, or...? _

Before I had any more time to panic about it, I heard something.

"HELLO?! WHAT ARE YOU STARING INTO SPACE FOR, DUMBASS?!"

"What? When did we...?"

I looked up to find that Bakugou had opened the car door, and was impatiently waiting on me to get out.

"Oh... shit, sorry. I guess I zoned out." I said as I stepped down from the car

"KACCHAN!" I heard several voices shouting from across the street.

I saw a small cluster of people outside of the bar—a few I recognized; Kirishima, Deku, Todoroki, Sero, Denki, and Iida, but there were a lot of unfamiliar faces.

_I'm starting to get anxious again._

_I need a drink._

"Reiko-chan!" Denki beamed

"Hey!" I called out with a wave

We hurried across the busy street and met up with them.

Iida's hand abruptly shot into the air.

"Bakugou-kun! As a hero, you shouldn't be jay-walking! You should obey all traffic and pedestrian—"

"SHUT IT, FOUR EYES OR I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Hey, Iida-kun—good to see you again." I said "Don't mind him."

"Likewise! and trust me, I rarely do."

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" He shouted

I giggled awkwardly and tried to subtly kick Bakugou's ankle.

"Be nice." I said through clenched teeth

_Jesus christ, will he calm down for 2 goddamn minutes?_

"Hey, Reiko-chan." Todoroki said, appearing from somewhere amongst the group "Oh, Bakugou, yo."

"Yo." He replied

"You got ol' Bakugou out of the house, eh?" Sero chuckled

I nodded proudly.

"Yeah, yeah... I'm here." He said, in his best 'I'm trying to be nice' voice.

"OOOH! KIRISHIMA-KUN! IS THAT HER!?" A very girly voice exclaim

_I reeeally hope I'm not the 'her' in that sentence._


	27. 26: Deku

"𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜  
𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎.

𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜  
𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕."

\- 𝚌. 𝚓.

26.

* * *

A girl with rosy-pink skin and equally pink curly hair was muscling her way through the crowd, dragging Kirishima behind her.

_Oh, wait, that must be Mina._  
_She's so cute!_

"Hi!" She beamed "Your dress is so cute!"

"Oh, thank you—"

"I'm Mina!"

"Nice to meet you, Mina. I'm Reiko." I replied with a smile

_Fuck, I'm so awkward_.

I'm not used to being friends with girls. I've always been one of the guys. Girls have never liked me much, so this is new.

"Kiri has told me so much about you! Sorry its taken us so long to meet." She said, before leaning in closer to me and lowering her voice "But, I have to admit, I didn't think Bakugou's girlfriend would be as pretty as you are."

_hahahaha... his what?_

We shared a laugh.

"Alright, guys." Deku said "Lets head in."

* * *

About an hour into it, and a couple of whiskey's later, Bakugou finally loosened up and actually looked like he might be having, dare I say it, _fun_. In fact, everyone was starting to relax a bit. Its unbelievably nice to see him laughing with his friends and enjoying himself—he's always handsome, but that brooding scowl rarely leaves his face.

_It seems to make his smile all the more incredible when I get to see it._

"Reiiiko-chan?" Mina sang

"Oh! Huh?"

I was standing around the bar with all of the other girls, trying not to make a complete ass of myself.

"I see you over there, daydreaming about your man." Mina teased as she poured me another sake.

"My _what_?! I wasn't!" I protested

"Yeah, suuure." She replied, rolling her eyes "You've got it bad."

We clinked our cups together and took the shots. The cool, smooth liquor went down quickly and eased my mind a bit.

"But something is going on with you guys though, right?" Momo chimed in "Its cute to see Bakugou-kun all googly-eyed over someone. We didn't think he had it in him."

"Thats what everybody says." I laughed

"Well, have you met him?" Uraraka giggled "He's not exactly the cuddly, googly-eyed type."

"This is true..."

I glanced in his direction once more. We caught each other's eye, which didn't surprise me. I don't know what it is, but I can usually tell when we're going to look at each other now. I think we've become really sensitive to each other's energy.

_I get this lightness in my chest and... I don't know._

He showed me a typical, devilish, Kacchan smirk and waved before going back to his conversation.

"SEE?!" Mina exclaimed "WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"We're just... close."

"Yeah, I bet you are." Momo said with a wink

"Well, whats up with you and Kirishima-kun, Mina?" I asked, desperately trying to get the attention off of myself "You two seem pretty damn cozy."

"Well, we've been on and off since high school." She said

"Stop trying to sound cool, Mina-chan. You know it's mostly been 'on'!" Uraraka laughed

"Whatever, Mrs. Izuku!" Mina taunted

Uraraka's face is adorable, its very... round and childlike. Her cheeks flushed bright pink.

"They're basically perfect." Momo added, lazily stirring her drink with a straw "Been together since sophomore year of highschool."

"And you're with Todoroki-kun, right, Momo?" I asked

"Shouto and I? W-W-Well... We've only been dating officially for a few months..."

This is a lot of information to keep straight when you're drunk.

Okay so, the couples are: Deku and Uraraka. Todoroki and Momo. Kirishima and Mina. Jiro, who I met a little earlier, and Denki... then Froppy and Toko... bird guy? I can't remember his name...

_I think?_  
_Was that right? I think that was right. I don't know what's happening._

"Wait! Thats not fair!" Uraraka pouted "Reiko-chan, you know all about our love lives and all we know is that you and Bakugou-kun are '_close_'. What does that even mean?"

I shrugged.

"It means it's nothing!"

"You having fun?" Bakugou's husky voice said close to my ear.

It made me jump slightly, I didn't see him walk over.

"Mhmm..." I hummed "You?"

"Yeah, these nerds aren't too bad, I guess." He replied before taking a sip from his glass "Plus, I like seeing you have a good time."

He used his free hand to flirtatiously play with mine—he'd lace our fingers together, let go, sometimes just resting his palm against mine. My head was swimming in a sea of sake. So, despite the fact that I know Bakugou would never show this kind of PDA in front of his friends unless he was drunk, I reveled in it.

_I knew people were watching.  
He knew people were watching.  
We just didn't care, and it was so beautiful._

"Drunk yet?" I teased "You're being wayyy flirty, kid."

"Stop calling me kid..." He grumbled "And maybe a little. So what about it, dammit?"

My eyes peeked over at the girls, who were all giving me very knowing looks.

"Oh, nothing. Just thought you'd be better at drinking than this." I joked

"Tch. You wanna challenge me, dumbass? You're on."

"Kacchan, I'm joking—"

"_I'm_ not!"

"I was afraid you'd say that shit." I sighed

He leaned against the bar.

"2 sake shots, doubles." He said to the bartender

_Nooo, why does everything have to be a competition with him?_

"Oh, got a little friendly competition going on here?" Kirishima chimed in

"No, this is not a competition, its not friendly, and I _hate_ him." I replied

"C'mon guys, lets all get in on this!"

"Nooo! Kirishima, we aren't—"

Surprisingly, everyone gathered around and started ordering double-shots. I felt like I was in the damn twilight zone.

"Uuugh..." I groaned "This is not going end well."

* * *

Update: Everyone is wasted. Including me.

"Reiko-chanReiko-chanReiko-chan..." Deku slurred "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Um... Sure, whats on your mind, dude?"

"I'm really, really happy for you."

_Huh...?_

I was a little puzzled as I looked up at the tall, emerald haired young man in front of me. He looked so different from the picture I saw in that yearbook. Puberty must have hit him like a freight train full of rocks. He stands at about 6'1" now, close to Bakugou's height—6'2". He was leaning up against the bar for stability. I think it was actually the only thing holding his drunk ass up.

"Thank you..? What do you mean though?" I asked, confused

"I'm happy... you make Kacchan happy. I'm happy thaaat... you've come so far—everything you've been through—all the criti... critisim? Critisisssii..?"

I laughed really hard at the fact that he was having such a hard time with that word.

_Jesus. We all drank way too much._

"Criticism?" I assisted

"Yes! Yes." He rejoiced "The criticism you face... you didn't give up and... I know we don't know each other all that well, but, I think what you're doing is awesome. You'll be a great hero someday soon."

I raised my eyebrows. I know alcohol gives you the courage to say whats on your mind, or maybe it just removes your filter, but I wasn't surprised that the only thing a drunk Deku had to say to me was positive.

I grinned at him. Honestly, I felt really honored to hear him say that.

"Thank you, Deku-kun." I said "You and Kacchan have known each other a long time, haven't you?"

"Since we were really little. I gave him that nickname, and he gave me mine."

"He told me... Look, I know that he's pretty fucking rude to you sometimes, well, I mean not always, its kind of weird actually..."

He chuckled

"Yeah, our friendship is... different. We're rivals, but Kacchan is always someone I'll look up to."

"Oi!" Bakugou's drunken voice called out "Whatthehelldoyouthink... you're doing talking to her? Damn nerd."

He slung his arm around my shoulder and shot a harsh glare in Deku's direction.

"Relax. Everything's fiiine, Kacchan." I slurred "Its fine, its fine. We were just chatting."

"Oh, yeah? What about?"

"Stop scowling! Don't complain when you're 30 and you have forehead wrinkles. They'll be your own fault."

"I'll just tell everyone you're the fucking reason I have wrinkles. It's the damn truth." He laughed

I looked back at Deku, who was grinning like crazy.

_Wait, is he saying that I'll still be hanging around him in 10 years...?_

—

We were all too drunk and tired to stay out until the bar closed. So, we called it a night around 1AM. We said goodnight to everyone, I exchanged numbers with a few people, and we made sure everyone got to their respective rides home before Bakugou got us a car back to his place.

"You guys sure you don't wanna catch a ride with us?!" Kirishima shouted from his Uber

"We'll be fine!" I insisted

"Reiko-chan! I'll text you!" Mina added

"Okay! Goodniiight!"

"Goodnight, guys." Bakugou said

We watched the car drive off until it eventually disappeared around the corner. Well, I tried to, but everything seems so hazy and wobbly.

I looked up at the night sky. There was no moon, no stars, just a dark canvas waiting to be painted on. It was an oddly cool night for August, too. The breeze was strong and a little chilly.

"You cold?" He asked, the tinge of rose on his cheeks was as bright as ever, I'm sure mine was as well.

I nodded. He pulled one hand out of his pocket, palm-up. I watched his quirk come to life—from a warm orange glow, all the way to a stable, crackly blaze, like a tiny fireplace. I'd seen my own quirk do something similar many times, but there was something about the way his worked that seemed so oddly beautiful. He rested his opposite hand on the small of my back and kissed my forehead.

The fire's light on his skin was mesmerizing. I feel like I know his face so well now, every curve, every line... and it still makes me swoon.

_His warmth makes me feel untouchable._

"You're so damn beautiful, Rei."

I giggled.

"You really think so?"

"Well, yeah, thats why I said it, dumbass." He hiccuped

"You are... probably the most beautiful man I've ever seen, even though you annoy the hell out of me."


	28. 27: Music

"𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏,

𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎."

\- 𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒

27.

!RATED M: Sexual Content!

* * *

The ride home was just the two of us laughing like crazy about... I don't even remember. There will be plenty of drunken ramblings on each-other's Instagram stories for us to decipher that in the morning.

We stumbled into the apartment.

**Bakugou's Point of View**

_Everything is so hazy right now... fuck, I'm trashed._

"You know what I want right now?" Rei asked "Its the perfect time to do it too..."

Her drunk voice is too damn cute.

"What?"

I couldn't take my eyes off of her, its like we were always being pulled towards each other by a force neither of us could control... Our lips met in a soft, deep, sake flavored kiss—it distracted me all the way up until my back hit a wall.

"Rei...? Whats with that face? What the hell are you do—"

"Shh.." She hushed me into another kiss, pressing her body up against mine. It sent chills down my spine.

I held her and caressed her every curve. Her fingers ran through my hair, lightly tugging on it. She suddenly dropped to her knees and started awkwardly fumbling with my zipper.

"Eh? What—?!"

I felt her soft lips touch my manhood. That one kiss turned into two, then three. The warmth from her mouth was fucking euphoric.

_But, wait... HEY!_

"D-Dammit..." I growled "Taking advantage of me when I'm drunk... so you can... _gah_... be in control..."

"I just wanna take care of you." She whispered "So shut up, and let me."

_I think I'm just surprised at her demanding control... I like it. _

_A little. _

_Fuck off._

The way she was looking up at me with those icy blue eyes as her kisses became sloppier and wetter was driving me insane. She slowly, tauntingly, took all of me into her mouth.

I inhaled sharply.

"_Fuck_..."

I felt myself hit the back of her throat. Her eyes lit up when she struggled to breathe, it made my mind go completely blank. I placed my hand on the back of her head and caressed her hair, gently guiding her up and down on me.

"_Goddamn_... ah... you've got some nerve... making me be submissive..."

The lewd sounds of her sucking and slurping on me only added to how amazing it felt. Every motion of her tongue, every slight movement of her head, I felt.

"Ah, mm..." I moaned

This is so embarrassing—she has me up against this wall moaning like I'm a damn girl.

..._But it feels so good, my body won't let me hold it in. She's loving this. _

"Mm... just like that—_fuck_!"

_And she knows just how to please me. She knows what I want._

"I-Its so...intense. Dammit—I can't...!"

My hands started to glow as my quirk activated. I knew I was completely at her mercy, she had me in the palm of her hand.

**Reiko's Point of View**

Seeing Bakugou like that was unbelievably sexy—having him in this state. He was a chorus of moans, he could barely hold himself together as I pleasured him.

I was lost in a power trip as I watched him respond to my every action. Being drunk made me a little sloppy with my technique—but he sure didn't seem to mind. His cock twitched with agony inside of my mouth. I was so desperate for his taste, how smooth he feels against my tongue. My jaw was aching, but I was so addicted to him that I couldn't stop now. I needed to hear his voice more.

"GAH...! _Oh_..." He groaned "You're... really fucking... good at this..."

I looked up at his handsome face, his mouth hung open as he struggled to catch his breath between moans.

"Baby, if you don't slow down... I'm gonna...!"

His words only made me speed up...

"I can't take it anymore.." He panted "... _fuck_...!"

Bakugou let out a series of small moans and one gorgeous carnal growl as he came. I looked up at him as I drank it all down, not leaving one drop behind.

I pulled back and wiped my mouth off with the back of my hand.

"What...the hell... Rei?" He breathed "Dumbass... that was hot... but so damn embarrassing. I'm definitely gonna get you back..."

"Thats no way to thank someone who just—"

He cut me off by kissing me. The sounds of him steadying his breathing could've lulled me to sleep. I don't even know how the two of us were still standing. We were both drunk and exhausted.

"That was amazing." He whispered before kissing me sweetly once more "You're... fucking amazing. Okay? But I'm still gonna get you back for doing that—when you least expect it."

"So are you. And thats fine by me." I replied, lazily tracing his jawline with a finger

His expression was hard to read, even though it was one I recognized. His lips go adorably crooked, and his eyes get all shifty and uncertain. I grinned up at him, I couldn't help it. His constant struggle with liking me, but being unthinkably frustrated with the fact that he does, will never get old.

He hurriedly bent down and pulled up his boxers.

"Urghhh." He growled through clenched teeth "Come on."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me in the direction of the back hallway.

"Bakugouuu...Where are we going?" I groaned "We need to sleep. Everything is still so wobbly..."

"I know, but I wanna show you something."

I seriously forget how big this penthouse is sometimes until I'm actually required to walk through it.

Once we reached the dead end of a connecting hallway, he stopped.

"Uh... is this the part where you kill me?" I asked

"Shut up!" He chuckled "Just wait."

I watched in confusion as he placed his palm on the wall and activated his quirk. A moment later, something happened that completely took me by surprise. A bright blue glow in the outline shape of a door slowly appeared in the wall.

_Seriously? _

_A secret door? _

_He has a secret door. Of course he does. _

_Is he sure HE isn't the villain?_

"I wanted to show you this sooner, but—"

"_Specific temperature recognized: 426.9 degrees Farenheit. Welcome, Bakugou_."

I leapt backwards, startled by the Alexa-like voice that spoke with seemingly no origin.

"WILL YOU RELAX, DUMBASS?!"

"Kacchan, are you sure you're not about to kill me? Because I've got to say—a hidden door is pretty murder-y."

"WILL YOU SHUT IT BEFORE I ACTUALLY KILL YOU?!"

The door lifted in a slow, smooth motion, revealing a large room where the main feature was very obvious—music.

"Woooah..." I marveled

He had 3 different drum sets and a bright orange bass guitar. The room itself appeared to glow. The walls were painted black, but they were covered in those colorful black light posters of different musicians and bands.

I laughed to myself.

Another unexpected layer of Kacchan—revealed.

"Like I was saying, I wanted to show you this before, but... I don't know." He mumbled

"I would've never imagined this side of you existed..." I replied, dreamily "Do you play these?"

He sat down behind one of the drum sets, an all black one.

"REI—DO YOU THINK I WOULD HAVE ALL OF THESE DAMN DRUMS IF I DIDN'T PLAY THEM?!"

"Then stop yelling at me, shut up and play them!"

He gave me one good scowl before he tapped his drumsticks together 3 times.

Let me just tell you, he plays the _hell_ out of those drums. The sound, the tempo, everything is perfect. I was completely in shock... for several reasons—including the fact that seeing him play was extremely sexy.

"Hmph. Impressed?" He asked smugly

I sat there in complete awe of him. Its so fitting for his personality that he plays the drums, but it doesn't make it any less surprising somehow.

I clapped my hands excitedly.

"I'm just so—I-I don't even know what to say... You're _so_ good! How long have you been playing?"

"Years. Since I was a kid. The old hag made me take music lessons to help me 'channel my anger', whatever the fuck that means."

I still wonder, is he really unaware of the fact that he has anger issues? Also, I still wish he'd stop referring to his mom as an old hag.

"I don't, uh—I don't really show people this side of me a lot..." He continued awkwardly "Only to people I trust. So..."

_My heart..._

"...That means a lot, Kacchan. Thank you for showing me. Does this mean I can ask you to play for me whenever I want now?"

He rolled his eyes.

"If it'll make you happy, I guess." He muttered


	29. 28: Preparation

"𝚒 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚢,

𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝.

𝚒 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞."

\- 𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚊 𝚟𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚞

28.

* * *

I turned my attention towards the orange bass guitar in the corner. Seeing it stirred up a lot of feelings for me. Not a lot of people choose bass off the bat. So the fact that he had one made him all the more interesting.

"Do you play this too?" I asked, pointing in it's direction

"I tried to. Thats why I have it. Guitar is too damn confusing. It pisses me off."

"Hm. Do you mind if I...?"

"_You_ play bass?" He asked, raising an eyebrow

"I dabble." I replied with a shrug as I picked it up "You sound surprised."

"Shutup."

It felt so strange having the guitar in my hands again. It had been a while. Bakugou tossed me a guitar pick. I caught it and strummed a few strings to make sure it was in tune. I hope I still sound decent considering its been a while and I'm teetering on the edge of passing out.

I went into a melody I made up so long ago...

"I probably made that up when I was 15." I laughed

"Its... it's beautiful. What about you? How long have you played?"

"Well, my bass was my mom's originally. I took it after she passed. So, I guess about 12 years."

"I guess we were both holding out on each other, huh?" He said

"Well, we both have some well-earned trust issues. We're learning though. I wouldn't want to learn with anyone else."

"Holy shit, you're corny." He laughed

"I try to have a moment with you, and this is what I get." I replied sarcastically

"Shutup, dumbass. We'll play together after you get your provisional license. You still have 2 weeks of training left." He yawned "Ready for bed?"

"Yep." I replied with a nod

* * *

Bakugou and I, along with everyone else, were so hungover the next day, that we all dragged ourselves out to eat the greasiest pork cutlet bowl we could find for brunch, before going back home and passing out.

* * *

The day after that, it was back to business as usual. For another two weeks, I continued to train and study for my provisional hero license exam. I'd even gotten to train with Mina and Uraraka a couple of times. Before I knew it, my written exam was a day away, and my physical exam was a couple days after.

I was in one of the conference rooms at the agency reviewing some written exam material with Aizawa and All Might. At this point, I don't really need them to be there—I'm not learning anything new, I'm only studying. I've just really grown to like hanging out with them, its like I've gained two adorably supportive Uncles.

Their quiet banter about 'the good old days' was comforting as I studied. They talk like they're old ass men—but Aizawa-sensei is only 36. All Might is... well yeah, I guess its okay for him to talk like that.

_Don't tell him I said that though._

However, I was having trouble focusing for some reason—I kept having to reread sentences, and staring off into space...

"Reiko-chan. Yo." Aizawa-sensei said in an attempt to get my attention "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." I replied "Sorry, I'm just thinking."

"Whats on your mind?" All Might chimed in

I let out a deep sigh.

"I think I'm just psyching myself out about the exam..."

"You're doing great in both areas." Aizawa-sensei replied "So, cut that out."

"Its not that I don't think I'm doing well. Its just—can I really do this? Like, be a hero? Will anyone ever even accept me as one...?"

All Might and Aizawa glanced at each other before turning their attention to me.

"Reiko-chan. Do you know in your heart that you want to be a hero?" All Might asked

"Of course, without a doubt."

"Then thats all that matters... Silverflame used to do the same thing, you know."

My heart jumped.

"My mom...? What do you mean?" I asked curiously

"She would doubt herself alot—thinking she wasn't a good enough hero."

_My mom?_

_How the hell could she ever have thought that? _

_She was amazing..._

"Judging by the look on your face, that sounds crazy to you, right?" Aizawa-sensei added

"Thats how we feel about you." All Might said "We've spent a month with you, we've seen you in action—you've got this. People's minds will change in time."

"Part of being a hero is having public approval—but the reality is, people aren't going to like you all the time, people may not accept you, and thats okay." Aizawa-sensei elaborated "As long as you know that you're doing your best, thats all that matters."

Their words resonated with me. It made me think back on the past couple of months. I'd worked really hard, I risked a lot by doing what I did to get here. Everything I'd done since the night I first met Kacchan and Kirishima has been leading up to this point.

_Actually, maybe my whole life has been leading up to this point. _

Suddenly, the alarm on my phone went off, snapping me out of my daydream.

"Shit. Its noon already? Sorry, guys. I've gotta go, but thank you both... really. Thank you."

I quickly shoved my notebook into my backpack.

"Where are you headed in such a hurry?" All Might asked curiously

"Kacch—I mean... Bakugou and I are taking a day trip out of town to do some training. He wants to go somewhere with a lot of open land so we can use our quirks freely in a new terrain and get out of the gym. He said he knows a place."

I squinted suspiciously at All Might and Aizawa, they'd started chuckling.

"Hey... What exactly the hell are you two laughing at?" I asked, folding my arms.

"You and Bakugou. You two don't have to hide the fact that you're together from us, we know." All Might laughed

"I—Theres...!" I stammered "W-Whatever! I'll see you two grandpas when I get back."

I hugged them both.

"Woooow, we're _grandpas_ now?" All Might laughed "You really are taking after Bakugou-kun, hm?"

"Mhmm! Thanks again!"

* * *

Bakugou packed up his car and drove us couple hours outside of Tokyo to an area in the countryside. There were a lot of wide open spaces. Fields, cliffs, rivers... I'd never seen anything like it, it was so pretty.

_He seems to have a thing for nature, which is such a contrast to his character—its cute._

I was eager to get to work, so thats what we did. We had started working on a combo move earlier that week—a few of them, actually. We love being in combat together so much, that we figured it was only natural, and kind of stupid that we didn't already have one.

So, there we were in a clearing, in the middle of nowhere, setting off explosions left and right, and bouncing around like two pinballs.

"So... its nearly perfect..." I panted as I came to a stop "But it still has no name. None of the combos we've come up with have names."

"MURDER BLAST 1, 2, 3 AND 4!" He shouted and put his fists together

_What is with him and that word?!_

"You can't just keep fucking throwing the word murder around, you're a hero!"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT THE HELL TO DO, EXTRA!"

"Whaaatever. I guess we'll come up with something eventually."

He walked over and passed me his water bottle. I paused to take a long, much needed drink.

"... How are you feeling, babe?"" He asked "Your exams are coming up."

"I feel... I feel good. I think I'm ready."

Bakugou lowered his head, he began to kick at the ground.

"...Did I do enough? Do you feel like I prepared you?" He muttered

_He's worried about that...?_

"Hey! Whats with that look?" I asked

I put a hand on each side of his face, forcing his gaze down towards me. I looked up into my favorite set of eyes. Their ruby color sparkled in the daylight.

"You did _everything_. I'm more than prepared. I'm gonna murder that exam, okay?"

"Don't throw the word murder around, you're a fucking hero." He mocked me in an annoyingly high pitched voice

"Shut UP!" I laughed "Thank you, Kacchan—for everything."

"Thank _you_ for making is easy for me by being so goddamn amazing."

"Oohh, good response!" I grinned

"Shut up, dumbass." He mumbled before giving me a quick kiss "You also have the most badass hero as your coach, so, you know. That helps."

I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'm definitely not worried about the written exam... and I guess the worst thing that could happen on Monday is me not passing... which is okay. I'll do the remedial work and try again—like you did way back."

"Yeah, like I di—" He cut himself off abruptly. His expression twisted into what I like to call his 'rage face'.

_Heeere we go._

**Bakugou's Point of View**

"WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE! HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!"

"Heh... Kirishima might have mentioned it in one of my study sessions..."

_SHITTY HAIR!_

"DAMN KIRI..." I growled through clenched teeth

"Relax!" She giggled "You're gonna burst a blood vessel and have no one to blame but yourself, explosion boy."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" I yelled "I was just young and stupid. I let my temper get the best of me during the exam—I was so mad all the time back then I could barely even think straight."

"Well, no point in dwelling on it, look where you are now. Besides, I like that you're a grouch. OH, right! That reminds me—I have something for you."

"I'M NOT A DAMN GROUCH... Wait, huh?"

_What...?_

_She got me something? Why?_


	30. 29: Gifts

"𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑

𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑.

𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕

𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝."

\- 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚎 𝙹𝚘 𝚂𝚌𝚑𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚣

29.

* * *

I watched closely as Rei jogged over to where I'd parked my SUV. We left the trunk up so we could sit in the back whenever we got tired. She rummaged around over there for a few seconds. I noticed her quickly shove something into her pocket before she sped back over.

"You got me a gift?" I asked, still baffled

"_Yes_. And you'd better not say a word about how its corny or embarrassing or any of that."

"Tch. Fine." I huffed "What is it?"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a thin silver chain with a small pendant on it, she proceeded to dangle it in front of my face.

"Remember when I was training with icy hot the other day?"

_I love that she calls him that too now._

"Yeah...?" I replied, arching an eyebrow

"We weren't actually training, he needed help picking out a gift for Momo-chan, and he asked me to go with him. I... I saw this while we were out and I thought you should have it."

I looked down at her, watching as a soft breeze ruffled her long silvery hair. It seemed like everything else went quiet, apart from the rustling of the trees.

_Even the day itself shuts up to hear her damn voice._

I grabbed the chain and held it still, able to see the pendant clearly for the first time. It was a small, silver, number 1.

My eyes widened.

"W-why?" I stuttered

"I told you before that I think titles are really shitty." She said "And I know your goal is to be the number one hero, but please don't undermine everything you've accomplished, Kacchan. You're amazing. You are number one in my eyes—always... you saved me."

There were words in my mouth, but I couldn't give them sound. They were tumbling over each other on my tongue.

_Dammit... say something...!_

"I... its... I'll never take it off. Ever."

She smiled and reached up around my neck to clasp it.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Of course I like it, dumbass." I grumbled "Its fucking perfect."

Rei smiled again, the greatest smile in the goddamn world. It still makes my heart feel like its going to blast right through my chest.

"...Hey, why don't we call that move we've been working on... killblast instead of murder blast? I'm trying to compromise."

"Killblast... I like it. Wanna try it again?"

"Hell yeah." She replied with a grin.

"Thats my girl." I said with a smirk "Okay, get back."

Basically, our first combo consists of the two of us coming together to create the most chaotic blast possible, by focusing our explosions into a single beam.

_Its badass, destructive as hell._

In the back of my mind, I was still wondering if I did enough to prepare her for the exam, I want her to feel secure... I want her to pass on the first try...

* * *

We practiced into the night, until we could barely stand. We laid in the back of the SUV and I opened up the moon roof so we could see the sky. We eventually fell asleep, but not before I set my alarm. I needed to make sure I got up just before midnight.

She's not gonna outdo Katsuki Bakugou.

_Hell no._

As soon as the alarm chirped, I reached over and shook her.

"Oi...! Reiko...! _OI_!"

"Hmm? Mmnnnmm... what?" She groaned sleepily

"Just wake up, dammit!"

She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Whaaat?" She yawned "Is it morning?"

"3...2...1...!"

**Reiko's Point of View**

"Kaaacchaaann..." I whined

He reached behind him and grabbed one of the bags he brought with him. He lifted a white cardboard box from inside of it.

"What is that?" I asked, completely confused and still a bit disoriented from waking up so suddenly.

_What is this dude up to?_

"I was kind of pissed that you stole my thunder earlier with the gift giving... but, its midnight and I wanted to do this."

"Stole your thunder...? What the hell are you talking about? If you don't start to make some sense in the next 5 seconds, I'm gonna punch you and go back to sleep."

He carefully lifted the lid on the on the box, revealing a small... cake? It said 'happy birthday' on top. It was round, white-frosted with little blue roses, and 3 candles of matching color. I watched in total confusion as he activated his quirk to light each one.

"Uh..." I giggled "Its not my birthd—"

"August 30th."

_Wait... Huh?_

"You hadn't brought it up, so I figured with everything going on, your dumb ass must've forgotten your own birthday. So... I wanted to surprise you, or whatever. I wanted to be the first person to... to wish you a happy birthday."

I sat there frozen in shock. Not only about the fact that I forgot my own birthday because I was so fucking distracted with the mess I call my life, but the fact that he remembered and got me a cake...?

_Bakugou?_

I slowly reached for my phone.

"NO! NO! ARE YOU GONNA TRY TO RECORD THIS?! NO WAY IN HELL!"

"This might be the sweetest thing you ever do for me, I'm gonna need proof it actually happened."

He whisper-growled his way through the happy birthday song. All the while, I watched in a twisted combination of awe and disbelief. Grateful doesn't even begin to describe the heap of emotions I felt as I watched him.

"...Happy birthday dear Reiko, happy birthday to you. Make a wish dammit. That was fucking embarrassing."

The glow from the candles looked so stunning on his face, his cheeks were tinged with blush from embarrassment.

I closed my eyes, put my hands together, and made the first wish that came into my mind:

\- _I wish to never lose him. May he annoy me until the end of my days_. -

I took one deep breath and blew all the candles out.

"Happy 21st Birthday, Rei." He said with a familiar, crooked, heart-melting smirk.

I knew that the words '_thank you_' were supposed to leave my lips, but I had so much more to say to him. Gone are the days of feeling shitty about my lack of impulse control.

I can't hold the words in anymore.

"I'm in love with you."

The cake box slipped from his hands—a short distance to the floorboards. His eyes went wide and he swallowed hard. I could've sworn I heard an audible "gulp".

"Y-You'd better be serious as hell right now, because I... I don't say this to just anyone."

"Say what?" I asked, fully knowing what his reply would be. I could feel it in my chest, I could feel it in the air between us.

"I'm in love with you too." He muttered

"I know."

He took my hand in his, and placed my palm on his chest. I could feel his heart beating wildly beneath his skin.

"Do you feel that?" He asked

I nodded.

"This has happened every time you've looked at me since the night we met. It scares the living shit out of me—and I don't get scared. So... don't take my love lightly. I love just as intensely as I hate."

"I won't." I whispered

My lips melted into his in the most tender kiss. I could stay in that moment forever—ignoring all of our problems and concerns.

"You're mine." He murmured "Only mine."

"And you're only mine. That means no matter what we face, we face it together."

"No matter what this fucked up rock floating in space throws at us..." He began "WE ATTACK IT HEAD ON AND BLAST IT TO DAMN BITS! —together."

I burst into laughter.

_He's absolutely insane._

"Of course. We fight every fight with all that we've fucking got."

"Until they're begging for mercy."

"Deal?" I asked

"Hmph. Deal." He smirked

* * *

After we got back in the morning, I knew my written exam was only a few hours away. All Might, Aizawa, and my study sessions with Kirishima and Iida over the past month had me feeling fully prepared for it.

I showed up to the testing center early, and ended up breezing through the exam in 45 minutes. I won't know what I got until after the physical portion, but I wasn't worried.

* * *

Bakugou suggested I use the rest of that day to relax—let everything wind down. If I tire myself out with training, my body and mind won't be in their best form. He did take me out to dinner for my birthday that evening though, mostly everyone I'd gotten to know came out and celebrated with me, which was sweet.

I spent the following day milling around his place, listening to music, drinking tea, mentally practicing my moves, and trying not to overthink every life decision I've ever fucking made.

_Totally easy, right?_

I even took my gear over to Hatsume to have her do some last minute tune-ups and repairs. I want everything to be at peak performance. And, of course, I couldn't sleep at all the night before. I was too pumped. I just kept tossing and turning, closing my eyes and opening them, pissing Bakugou off...

"SOME OF US WANNA GET SOME DAMN SLEEP AROUND HERE!" Bakugou yelled

"Sorry! I'm just too excited!" I beamed "How can I sleep at a time like this?!"

"I'll take you to breakfast in the morning—"

"OooH! The place with the fluffy waffles?"

He grimaced.

"Yes, the place with the damn fluffy waffles—if you at least find something to do for the next..." He paused to look at his watch "6 hours until we have to wake up. Or, try harder to sleep."

"Fiiiine."

* * *

**postscript:**

thank you all so much for all the views, favorites, follows and kind words. Also, thanks for sticking with me even though I have no real post schedule. Sometimes you'll get 2 chapters from me in 1 day, sometimes you'll get 1 chapter in 2 weeks. It all depends, and with the uncertainty we face in our world right now (especially bc I'm a healthcare worker!), I can't promise that will ever change. This is my little escape to deal with all of my anxieties, so thank you all for reading. Really. Don't be shy to leave reviews! I love hearing from you all.

okay I've rambled enough. you all stay safe


	31. 30: Villainous Ways

"𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎.

𝙸 𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗."

\- 𝚗.𝚖.

30.

* * *

I was up at 5AM sharp, showered, dressed, and ready to go by 6. I was in the living room stretching when Bakugou walked in.

"You ready?" He asked

"As I'll ever be. For both the exam and the waffles."

"Christ." He groaned "I forgot about that part. Lets go."

* * *

When we arrived at the venue, after I got my waffles, it was already flooded with people. I have to admit, at this point, my anxiety kicked into high gear. There were students all over the place from different high schools, U.A. included, of course. It suddenly felt like I had no chance in hell. Everyone around me had been studying and and training to be a hero for years. Not a couple of months.

I also started to get a bit worried that, even though I'm only 21, I was going to be the oldest examinee. However, I was quickly comforted after Bakugou explained that people of all different ages are allowed to attempt to get their provisional license, as long as they have a recommendation from a registered hero.

We made a beeline for Aizawa and his class as soon as we saw them.

"Ah, Reiko-chan, Baku—"

"WHO THE HELL ARE THESE BUNCHA LOSERS?!" Bakugou interjected "Did U.A. loosen the criteria to get into the school or what? These kids look like they wouldn't bust a grape in a damn fruit fight."

Aizawa let out a groan in a true "disappointed but not surprised" fashion. Most of the class looked at Bakugou in admiration and awe, a few of the girls shared hushed whispers about how cute he was.

He is cute, huh?

A short, blonde boy with big green eyes stepped forward from the group and approached him.

"B-Bakugou-sama! I-I'm such a fan...I..." His timid voice trailed off, and he looked down sheepishly.

"WELL IF YOU'RE A FAN OF MINE, SPEAK UP! DON'T WHISPER ABOUT IT! USE YOUR DAMN VOICE!"

"H-Hi... Bakugou-san!"

"THATS MORE LIKE IT, KID!"

I shook my head.

* * *

When it came time for Bakugou and I to separate, I couldn't seem to calm myself down. I was just about ready to jump out of my fucking skin and get the exam over with.

"You're gonna do amazing, you got that?" He said

"I know I am."

"Tch. You're starting to sound like me."

"Thats kinda the idea." I giggled

"You've got this. Remember everything we've gone over, stay alert. You never know what the hell these bastards will throw in. I'll be in the stands screaming my goddamn head off cheering you on, okay?"

I nodded.

"Love you, jerk."

"Love you too, dumbass."

* * *

Me, and all the other participants gathered in a large area as we awaited the announcer's arrival. After a few moments, a thin, blonde, rather tired looking man, dragged himself up to the podium. Bakugou had mentioned this guy. He said he's been the host for the provisional license exam for the last 6 or 7 years, then referred to him as being "a pain in the ass", but that's how he refers to pretty much everyone.

"Ehem... Is this thing on?... oh, it is." He began "Ahh... Good morning. I'm Mera from the Heroes Public Safety Commission. Today you are here to take your hero license exam. There are 1,627 examinees this year, and as you know, you will have to win through a free-for-all exercise."

There were several murmurs throughout the crowd.

_I'm nervous as hell—I can't imagine being under this kind of pressure at 15 or 16._

I started to think about why I wanted to become a hero in the first place—I thought about my mom... how proud she'd be to see me here, and how she'd gone through this herself.

_You've got this, Reiko, come on..._

"The age of the hero is prosperous in society right now. Of course, there are still pockets of villainy and crime, but that is to be expected. You are all doing a very brave thing today, don't forget that. What you'll be tested on today is your timing! Only the first 200 to fulfill the requirements will pass—that means less than 2% of you will walk out with your provisional hero licenses today."

_Fuck_.

We were all given a number and strange metal armband with a number etched into it.

I'm number 42.

The entire exam is a mock rescue mission. The objective is to complete the rescue mission and keep your armband on for the duration of the exam. There are constant obstacles, 'villains', and other examinees trying to steal your armband from you. If you have any extra armbands at the end, it means bonus points will be added to your final score. Lose your armband, and you not only have to focus on getting it back, but you must also keep your mind on the rescue mission and complete it. If you don't have an armband when the timer runs out, its an automatic fail.

It was absolute fucking chaos when we got released into the arena. I immediately took off, blasting myself forward with the noise from the commotion.

**Bakugou's Point of View**

"HELL YEAH! KILL THOSE BASTARDS!"

"You know she can't hear you, right?" Aizawa asked

"OF COURSE I KNOW THAT!"

Kirishima joined us a few minutes later. We were thinking we'd be right in the arena to watch, but it turns out the arena itself is enclosed now. So, everyone who was watching, was watching from these huge monitors mounted on the walls in the exam completion area.

I watched Rei closely, anxiously, as she blew past the other examinees during "the crushing of U.A.". Of course, I required her to watch and review this years' sports festival, so she knows the students quirks like the back of her hand. She's talented. I don't say it often enough, but to be able to move the way she does with the way her quirk works is damn near unbelievable.

She made quick maneuvers to keep the other examinees away from her, not letting a single one of them lay a finger on her armband. Also, she was nailing the rescue mission—following each step exactly as I taught her.

Not to mention, her years as a villain made her damn good at intimidation. She talks to her opponents when she's in combat, gets inside their heads and fucks with them.

She wasn't wasting any time focusing on stealing anyone else's armband—no. She was focusing on keeping her own for now.

* * *

"14 examinees have now passed." Mera announced

"I hope she finishes soon!" Kirishima said "I've got my fingers and my toes crossed."

"SHUTUP KIRI! ...but I hope so too."

Rei's still doing great, but I can tell some of the other examinees are getting under her skin. I told her that would probably happen, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating—thats for goddamn sure.

"She's got to stay calm." I heard All Might's voice remark

I glanced behind me, noticing his thin frame not too far away.

"Huh? Oh, All Might. What are you doing here, old man?"

"I came to see her. Hows she doing?"

"Great, so far. I'm just... I wonder whats going on in her head. She's close to finishing, but she's letting these 2 dumbasses get under her skin..."

_Dammit, Rei. Come on... just finish and let me kill these fuckers afterwards._

**Reiko's Point of View**

_These 2 are really fucking irritating_.

I've let everything they've said roll off my shoulders for the majority of the exam—ignoring them as best I could, but now I'm pissed off.

"Whats a villain doing here?" The first guy taunted

"Haven't you heard about her? She's a damn villain turned hero." The second one sneered "Makes me sick that they'd even let her participate."

"We're supposed to give her a pass because of her dead mom, and 'cause she's fucking Bakugou."

"You'd think a number 2 hero would be smart enough to not get involved in shit like that."

"Guess not."

The two of them started cackling like a couple of hyenas.

_Okay, thats it. This ends right the fuck now_.

If I retaliate, I'll lose points, and possibly even fail. I hate to make the villain in me come out, but, eh. I'll just scare them a little. I still need to finish up the last bit of the mock rescue mission, and I can't have them distracting me.

They're causing me to make stupid mistakes that I can't afford—careless ones. I'm not about to lose this over some high school boys.

_Hell no._

I stopped dead in my tracks and pivoted to face them, surprising them both, considering this was the first time since the exam began that I even acknowledged them.

"Let me ask you two something." I said "If you know I used to be a villain—why are you fucking with me? Especially when I know each of you so well."

"The fuck did you just say to me, trash?"

_Oh god. They have no idea._

"Your name is Fujiwara Hideo. You barely got into Shiketsu High with your shamefully low test scores. Lucky for you, daddy's got money. U.A. was your first choice, but—" I paused to let out a giggle "I guess he doesn't have that much money, huh? You're 16 and this is your second attempt at getting your provisional license, right? How sad!"

I could physically see the anger taking over him. His eyes widened, and he balled up his fists.

_Aaand just like that, I'm in his head. But I'm not done yet—I've only just begun._

His quirk is something speed related or other, but unfortunately for him, he's not very quiet. And since I have such spectacular hearing thanks to my quirk, I was able to quickly blast myself backwards to avoid his attack.

"How bold!" I exclaimed "But, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Especially if you want to actually pass this time."

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU—?!"

"And your friend here," I pointed to the second boy, who was standing nearby with this sheepish, terrified look on his face "Akagi Kiyoshi—well, I don't know if '_friend'_ is really the appropriate word."

I put my hand on my chin, feigning that I was deep in thought. I used the other hand to create a few small explosions in my palms.

"SHUTUP, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE—!"

"C-Come on, man..." Kiyoshi urged "Lets just forget about her and finish the exam..."

_Nope, still not done with you two yet._

"Oh, but, Kiyoshi-kun... You didn't even let me get to the best part!" I explained "Hideo-kun. That girl that you're dating, she finished 12th. What is her name... Damn, I just had it. Its on the tip of my tongue... Yui! Right? You don't like the way he looks at her, do you? Theres a reason he does, though—"

"DON'T!" Kiyoshi yelled, interrupting me.

"Don't what? What were you going to say?!" Hideo asked, the terror in his voice, all too obvious.

"Don't...? Hm. I guess I won't then." I shrugged "Oh, and, a word of advice: A very important part of being a hero—don't let the opponent get into your head."

I held up Hideo's armband, which I'd snatched when his stupid ass was distracted.

"Kiyoshi-kun, I'm gonna let you keep yours. I think explaining to your friend what happened between you and Yui-chan will be punishment enough." I giggled "Good luck, boys."


	32. 31: New Age

"𝚠𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎

𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚜

𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕

𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎

𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚞𝚜."

\- 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝙱𝚞𝚔𝚘𝚠𝚜𝚔𝚒

31.

* * *

**Bakugou's Point of View**

Rei finished the mission and bolted like a damn madwoman to the viewing area, along with two other students.

"REI, YOU—OOF!"

She jumped into my arms. I held onto her as tight as my arms would allow me to. I could hear All Might and Aizawa applauding.

"YOU WERE AMAZING!" I shouted

"You did awesome out there, Reiko-chan!" Kirishima added

"Thanks guys, but don't jinx it. We didn't get the scores back yet." She laughed... but all too quickly, the smile disappeared from her face, replaced by a worried expression. Her ears perked up and her usually bright eyes narrowed.

"Oi... whats up?" I asked suspiciously "Whats with that look?"

She was silent. Her eyes began to dart around the room.

"_Reiko_." I urged

"I... somethings—"

Suddenly, the lights flickered. We all looked around as confused and worried murmurs began buzzing through the air. They flickered a few more times before they all went out completely, along with the viewing monitors. The room was thrown into pitch-black darkness. Every hero in the room quickly activated their quirk, others became frantic and panicky.

"Everyone, please try to remain calm, you're safe here! There are heroes to protect you!" Kirishima shouted, attempting to ease the crowd.

"What the hells going on?" I asked

"Its... he's here. Ichiro. He's somewhere... somethings wrong. This is him, it has to be."

I clenched my jaw.

_DAMMIT! _

_THAT BASTARD CAN'T JUST SHOW UP WHEREVER THE HELL HE—_

The monitors began to come back on, one by one throughout the room. The picture that appeared on each screen was fuzzy at first, but became clear after a few seconds... and there he was. Dark skin, silver hair, and pale eyes just like Rei...

"ICHIRO! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" She yelled "WHY?!"

He gave a malicious grin.

"Oh, little sister. I couldn't miss your big day! Your provisional hero license exam? Thats a big step. Bravo." He began to clap sarcastically.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!" I shouted "Quit while you're ahead or I'll fucking kill you."

"I see you're still with that loudmouth bastard." Ichiro scoffed "Anyways, I'm obviously kidding. I don't give a shit about you, your hero escapades, or who you're fucking. I'm here for one reason only: to debut my latest project to the Hero world as a whole. I'm live all over Tokyo! Isn't that amazing?"

_Oh, I'm definitely gonna murder this asshole._

"Cut the bullshit, Ichiro. What the hell are you talking about? What project?!" Rei asked

"Lights please!" He continued, ignoring her "They should have taken their places by now."

_They...?_

I felt Rei's hand squeeze my arm. The lights came back on one by one, making the situation all the more agonizing. The atmosphere in the room was horrible, tense, and unnerving. None of us knew what was going to happen next. We were all on our guard. My heart was thumping with anticipation, but I couldn't even begin to imagine what Rei must've been feeling...

When all of the lights finally came back on, it was obvious that there were more people in the room than before.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you'll see," He began "There are now several figures in the room with bright orange shirts on. If you would all please raise your hands!"

All of their hands shot into the air in an instant at the exact same time. These people—well... I don't even know I'd call them people. Its like, they were _almost_ human, but not quite...? Their skin is too stiff, expressions too... artificial. Their eyes would blink at strange intervals. It was unnatural.

_Its creeping me the fuck out._

_Are they robots or something?_

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE THINGS?!" Rei cried

"WILL YOU SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH! Always with the fucking yapping!" He roared "I'm trying to—"

No_. _Nobody, and I mean _nobody_, will ever speak to Rei like that in my goddamn presence.

"_Don't_ fucking talk to her like that." I threatened "Where the hell are you anyways, huh? You gonna come out and fight like a real man? Or are you going to have these things do your fighting for you while you hide like a pussy?"

"Tch. I'm not intimidated by some damn weakling hero. Save your breath."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A WEAKLING, ASSHOLE?! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"The police are trying to track his location now..." Aizawa whispered to us

Rei gave him a slight nod.

"Now, as I was saying, those with their hands raised, _they_ are my new age heroes!" He boasted "I think its time that we do away with _you _and all and your selfish, idiotic ways, hm? Society needs a hero upgrade, don't you think?"

"No, you miserable fuck." Rei replied "This is pointless, you know the heroes are going to find you, detain you, you'll be taken into custody and never see the light of fucking day again. You'll _never_ win."

He shot a glare at his side of the monitor, but he didn't respond to her.

"This is my prototype for a league of brand new heroes, all much more powerful than the ones in place—governed by one. Me. I'll show you all what I mean." His eyes shifted suddenly "Number 0019, I showed you which one was Reiko, do you remember her face?"

_W-What?_

_Why?_

Slowly, hauntingly, silently... one of the figures in the orange shirts lowered its' hand. It took the appearance of being a tall, dark-haired woman,.

"Yes..." It responded

It pivoted slowly to face our direction.

"Ichiro, _don't_." Rei warned

"Target identified. Kuroshi Reiko. Your sister. Would you like me to proceed. sir?" It asked

"Yes, 0019, go ahead."

In the blink of an eye, it blew through the crowd. Chaos insued as the figure charged towards Rei at top speed through the sprawling observation room, not letting a single thing get in its way. All of the heroes in the room were doing everything we could to stop it. Including me, Kirishima, and Aizawa. Quirks fired off left and right, but nothing fucking stopped it. It would occasionally falter or trip, but it never lost speed.

"Just what the hell is this thing?!" Kirishima shouted

"Aren't they amazing?!" Her brother rejoiced "Note that they are nearly unstoppable."

"KIRISHIMA! ALL MIGHT!" Rei yelled "WE NEED TO GET THE STUDENTS OUT OF HERE!"

Kiri and All Might sprung into action. Rei, on the other hand, didn't move a muscle. She stood there completely motionless, but I could hear her. She had started to hum this low, steady hum, it began increasingly getting louder.

"REI, MOVE!" I yelled

The look in her eyes was pretty damn frightening, but she stayed put as if she didn't hear me. The hum had grown into a steady yell, edging closer to a scream.

"REI FUCKING MOVE! I SAID MOVE, NOW!"

I kept shooting explosion after explosion off in this thing's face, at it's head—its blowing pieces of its skin off or away, but not stopping it. Aizawa's tape, nothing. Kirishima's hardening, nothing. Every other quirk in the fucking room... had little effect on these things.

I felt like I was going to vomit as I watched it near closer to Rei... she still wasn't moving.

I finally couldn't handle it, I blasted myself down to where she was and stood directly in front of her. She was screaming now... not a regular scream, something I'd never heard leave her body before. It was painful, piercing, and bloodcurdling.

"Obstacle identified: Number two hero— Bakugou Katsuki. You will not get in my way." The figure uttered quietly in a strange mechanical tone. I blasted it back about 30 feet, blowing its right arm completely off. It stumbled, but it stood back up too damn quick. It bolted towards me at what seemed like twice the speed it was going at before.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HIM!" Rei let out the most nightmarish shriek as she threw herself in front of me.

"REI, NO—!"

She unleashed a lethal explosion. Our side of the room was filled with the color and heat of her blast. It was so big and bright... I lost all sight of her.

"REI! REI! GOD DAMMIT...!"

When the smoke cleared a few agonizing moments later, she was strattling the damn thing—unleashing punch after punch to it's head. The droid twitched and shook beneath her. Panicked, I scrambled over to her and released an explosion close to its neck, completely decapitating it.

**Reiko's Point of View**

Black.

Everything went completely black at some point for me. I felt so much anger, pure rage, pulsating through my veins. I think I went into shock, actually.

_What the fuck were those?_

_Where did Ichiro even get the connections to produce that many of them? How...?_

I blinked my eyes. The blinding glow of bright fluorescent lights flooded my field of vision.

_Where the hell am I?_

_Wheres..?_

"K-Kacchan..? Kacchan!" I called out

"I'm here."

I looked beside me. Bakugou was sitting close by. The look on his face was worried, tear stained and bruised.

"Thank god, you're finally up."

"Up...? What—what happened? Where is he?!"

I sat up and frantically tried to rip out my IV.

"Oi... OI! STOP IT!" He grabbed me, holding me in place as I struggled to get out of... bed?

_A hospital bed...?_

"REI, FUCKING STOP! YOU'RE GONNA HURT YOURSELF MORE, YOU DUMBASS!"

"NO! I have to stop him... I have to! Get off! KATSUKI, GET OFF! I'm the only one who—"

"STOP! Dammit... s-stop..." His voice broke

I'd never heard that happen before. It shook me to my very core. I immediately stopped squirming.

He lowered his head.

"Babe...?" I murmured

**postscript:**

* * *

Thank you all so much for the reads, favorites, and follows! sorry for the lack of updates recently. life is insane right now so I hope ur all doing okay!


	33. 32: Team

"𝚍𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎

𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝

𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎, 𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝

𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝."

\- 𝙳𝚢𝚕𝚊𝚗 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚜

32.

* * *

"Those droids were... they were on another level completely." Bakugou uttered quietly "They were fucking relentless, we could barely stop them."

"...What do you mean? What happened to them then?"

"They all just... stopped. Your brother said something and just like that, they—"

"So the target for us isn't the droids, or whatever those things are." I concluded "Thats not the focus, they're secondary, a distraction. The target is my brother. He's the one controlling them, right?"

"Yeah, but—"

"I'll kill him."

"Its not that fucking simple, Rei."

"It _is_." I insisted "I'll kill him. I'm the only one who can."

"WILL YOU FUCKING STOP?! LOOK AT YOURSELF!" He shouted

I hadn't realized how much pain I was in until he said that. My body ached all over. It also seemed like I couldn't relax any of my muscles, they were strained and tense. My palms felt as if the skin had been ripped off of them, they were wrapped in bandages and stained with blood.

"I _know_ you can kill him, I know you fucking can, but..."

Bakugou looked up at me with tears threatening to spill from his crimson eyes. I'd never... I'd never seen him cry. I honestly didn't imagine that I'd ever have to. He's so strong, proud and powerful. Seeing him like that... it threatened to break me completely.

"This is different. I'm not gonna let you just... I-I'm not ready to lose you yet..."

_What the fuck am I doing to him...?_

"You won't lose me, Kacchan..." I said, as a painful lump rose in my throat. "I know this is really hard, and I know you didn't... you didn't sign up for all this when we met, and I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry."

Tears streamed down my face at the thought of how much I was hurting him—at the fact that he, of all people, trusted me enough to be this vulnerable in front of me. It felt as if my heart were being torn in two.

"Don't apologize to me, idiot..." He muttered

"I have to, because things aren't gonna get any easier from here on. I-I... I understand if its too much and you don't want to keep—"

"Shutup. Just shut the hell up... Don't say that. Don't even finish that fucking sentence."

"I-I don't know what else to do..." I whimpered

"I just fucking hate seeing you hurt like this... d-dammit." His voice shook "You jumped in front of me. Why...? I could barely protect you from those things. I'm supposed to be able to protect you—I fucking couldn't... If something had happened to you back there, if you didn't make it, I-I... I'd never forgive myself."

_Katsuki_...

I dried his tears with the back of my hand. Even such a slight movement felt like a blade through my palm, and his salty tears soaking through my bandages only added insult to injury.

"Stop it, okay? You never talk like this. I did make it, we both made it. You're my protector, Kacchan." I sniffed and tugged on the silver chain to his necklace "Thats why I gave you this... and even so, whats wrong with letting me protect you sometimes, huh? Why do you think I said what I said back there? When I saw that thing charge at you again, I lost it. I blacked out... I needed to save you."

He leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine.

"I know. I know." He whispered "This is just... so goddamn hard. Please promise me that if you're gonna do what you said you'd do, if you're serious about killing that asshole... you won't do it alone."

"I have to–"

"Rei." He warned "Thats not a damn suggestion. I'm coming with you. End of fucking story. If you need to deliver the final blow, thats fine... but I'm going. You got that, dumbass?"

I sighed. I had a feeling he'd say something like that. It'd be useless to argue with him. I was too tired to anyway.

"...Okay." I whispered

"We'll all go with you."

I looked over towards the door.

"G-Guys...?" I stammered

Bakugou quickly turned away and dried his eyes. Pouring in through the door was a crowd of people—Deku, Uraraka, Kiri, Mina, Momo, Todoroki, Iida, Denki, Sero... all of them. Even Aizawa and All Might. There were more but I...

"You guys... you don't have to do that for me..." I sniffed "I'm sorry for getting you all caught up in my bullshit."

_Why do they want to help me?_

"Hey, we're your friends." Iida said "We've got your back."

"We get caught up in eachother's bullshit all the time." Kirishima shrugged "Its what friends do, we help each other."

"We all understand what its like to have to do something like this, and feeling like you're the only one able to. " Deku added "We're here for you, Reiko-chan."

"We'll form a team." Mina chimed in

"—A team that will locate Ichiro, figure out what he's doing, and make our move." Todoroki chimed in "With you and Bakugou at the forefront. It'll be top priority."

"Let us help you, Rei-chan!" Uraraka pleaded

I couldn't pull myself together. I started bawling. They all crowded around the bed, and that was when I noticed, they were all pretty banged up themselves. They must've been called to the arena to help with the chaos...

"Thank you all..."

"And congratulations, nerd." Bakugou added

_Congratulations_?

"Huh...?"

He glanced up at the others.

"Tell her! Telllll her!" Momo urged excitedly

"Tell her, Bakubro!" Kiri beamed

"Tell me what? What the hell are you guys talking about?"

Bakugou leaned back and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small, shiny, white card, not much bigger than a credit card. He handed it to me.

**Provisional Hero License**

**Name**: Kuroshi Reiko

**Agency**: Bakugou Hero Agency

**Issued**: 9/2/20XX

**Hero Name**: Silver

My hands began to tremble. After everything that happened, and the fact that I'm pretty sure I banged my head at some point, I'd nearly forgotten that I took the exam.

Is this for real...?

"...I passed?" I asked in disbelief

"You passed, babe." Bakugou said with a crooked smirk

I stared down at the card. My picture, my name... Its all there. This is real. I did it.

* * *

Everyone congratulated me, and told me how proud they were of me. It all felt like some crazy dream. We sorted out some beginning details of a plan, but not too many. They all want to recover, and they want me to as well, before we make any big plans.

When Bakugou and I were finally alone again, I started to think about what had actually happened—just trying to process it was a fucking nightmare. My mind was a mess, still high on a lethal combination of anxiety and adrenaline. My only comfort was... him. He hadn't left my side since I woke up. He was fighting sleep vehemently from his chair beside the bed.

"Kacchan?"

He flinched and looked up at me with his eyes wide.

"Hm? I wasn't fucking sleeping..." He grumbled

"No one said you were? Why don't you go home and clean up? Get some rest. I'll be okay here."

"No way in hell. I'm staying right here, dumbass." He insisted "You, of all people, are the last person who should be telling anyone to get some rest. So shut it."

I sighed.

Even all beat up and exhausted, he was still the most handsome thing I'd ever seen.

"The burns on your palms... they're pretty bad, huh?" He noted

I nodded. The nurse had come in and changed the bandages a bit earlier, which was agonizing. They still were throbbing like crazy from the agitation.

"That blast was... it was like nothing I've ever seen from you before. It was so bright, almost like the fire you were producing was—white or something."

"Or silver, maybe?" I laughed

_Ha, get it? Because of my hero name...? Never mind._

"How... how the hell are you still able to laugh after all that shit happened?!"

I shrugged.

"Have to. I'd go crazy if I couldn't find the humor in things..."

"You're a damn psycho, you know that?" He chuckled "But, uhm... I wanted to wait for all those extras to leave so I could tell you... how proud of you I am."

A feeling of warmth spread through my chest at the sound of those words.

"Go ahead, tell me." I said, a big cheesy grin plastered on my face "How proud are you?"

"Tch. Idiot... I am so fucking proud of you, Rei. You're amazing."

"You're amazing. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you—training with me, setting up lessons for me, making me a schedule, that stupid ass whistle..."

We both laughed.

"But, seriously, Katsuki. Thank you. I couldn't have done this without you. And guess what?"

"What?"

"I love you."

He leaned down and kissed me. I kissed back so eagerly. All I wanted was to be in his arms, but I was stuck in that stupid hospital bed.

"I love you too, angel. Get some rest, please?"

"I can't sleep here." I whined "I want to go home... with you."

"You're being a fucking brat. They're keeping you here for your own good. They want to make sure you're okay, and so do I dammit. So, you're staying."

I poked my lips out in the most pitiful pout.

"Rest. _Now_, dumbass."


	34. 33: Priceless

CONTENT WARNING: Smut & some quality fluff (:

"𝚒 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚕

𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞

𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕

𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐."

𝚍.𝚓.

33.

* * *

I was released from the hospital the next day, making Kacchan free to take me home. My hands were healing up significantly, due to some help from recovery girl, but I'm still in a lot of pain. Bakugou sported a nice bandage on his left cheek, and 3 stitches in his leg.

"COME ON!"

"NO! I CAN BATHE MYSELF!" I protested

"How?! Explain to me how, dammit! You can't get the bandages that wet, right?"

"...No"

"SO, HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU PLANNING ON TAKING A BATH?!"

"I'LL BE FINE!"

I then proceeded to slam the bathroom door in his face. I heard a muffled growl from behind it—all the while I was struggling to hold in my laughter.

"Fine, fine! WHATEVER! He griped "Don't come crying to me when you—"

_I'll get him._

"ITAI!" I yelped

(_OW!_)

The bathroom door flew open with such force, it blew my hair back.

"ARE YOU OKAY?!"

I merely stood there next to the shower, smirking at him proudly.

_He's worried about me to a fault._

_It is so fucking cute though._

"What happened to 'don't come crying to you'?" I joked

"GAHHH! YOU'RE SO DAMN ANNOYING!"

"Of course I'm gonna need your help, Bakugou-kun."

I said, holding my hands out "Pleeease?"

"You're asking me to bathe you?" He asked, a devilish grin on his face

"Down, boy." I chuckled "But can you at least start the water for me?"

_I. love. Bakugou's. Shower._

I'd been in love with it since I first started staying here. Its a traditional, japanese-style shower, but its huge, elegant and slate-gray. Marble tiles lined the walls and floor of it. It's enclosed by big, glass, sliding doors—it looks like something straight out of a magazine.

Bakugou DIY'd some shit by wrapping my hands in saran wrap to protect them from the water, which he fastened to my wrists with rubber bands. Then, he started the water for me. He had his rage face on the whole time he was doing all of this, by the way.

_Priceless._

For a while, I just sat on the bench, letting the hot water run over my skin, watching it bead up and trickle off in tiny, clear streams. It felt so ironically wonderful. As if, all things considered, I was actually allowed to feel good. I was silently hoping my worries and cares would be carried away by the steam.

I know I can only act this careless for another day or so before I have to focus all of my fucking attention on murdering my own brother, so let me enjoy it.

I refilled the washbowl, over and over, pouring the water over my head. I was lost in relaxation, and my mind was hazy when I heard someone clearing their throat. I looked up.

"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" I asked

"Shutup. You look stupid with that plastic on your hands." He laughed

"You look stupid _always_." I teased "Thank you for putting them on for me."

"You're welcome, nerd."

Bakugou sat on the opposing bench. I'm not going to lie—I was definitely ogling him. Its hard not to. The definition in his shoulders and back have definitely become a weakness of mine. Me being a perv, and him being a beautiful specimen of a man aside, I was gazing at him out of... love.

I want to share everything with him. I want him to know the paths through darkest parts in my mind, and the furthest corners of my heart. I know whats at stake if I'm going to attempt to go up against Ichiro. I'm honestly terrified. The fact that Bakugou volunteered himself—risking everything for me _again_... it's incredible. He said he'd do anything for me and he really meant it.

**Bakugou's Point of View**

The last 24 hours have been absolute shit. I hate seeing Rei hurt. Even though she doesn't let it show, I know she's in pain.

_I'll tell you one thing though—this girl is tough as hell. _

I watched her across from me. Soapy rivers of water washed down her gorgeous frame, over that delicate umber skin of hers. She's so fucking stunning, it still catches me off guard sometimes.

She began to attempt to wash her hair, trying to conceal a wince every time she lifted her arm. She got visibly frustrated as the shampoo bottle slipped from her saran-wrapped hands.

"Need some help?" I asked, sarcastically

"...Yes." She sighed, defeated

"Okay, okay, dumbass." I said "Have no fear, Bakugou the hero is here."

"What was that?" She giggled

"Its some stupid shit the old hag used to say when I was a kid." I said "Shutup."

I made my way over to her. I took the shampoo and massaged it into her soft, silver hair. She closed her eyes and relaxed her back against my chest. Something about such a simple act—washing her hair for her, felt so damn intimate. Rei and I had been through so much, and things weren't even close to calming down. We both knew it. The image of her throwing herself in front of me as that damn droid came towards us was still haunting me.

_I feel like I'm going insane._

After I rinsed her hair, I started to place kisses on her shoulders—completely drawn to her without my consent.

"You own my heart, you know?" She whispered quietly

"I own more than that... don't bullshit yourself, extra."

"Whatever, as if I don't have _you_ wrapped around my finger."

"I'M NOT WRAPPED AROUND ANYTHING, DAMMIT!"

"Ah..!"

She let out such a delicate sound as I kissed this one place on her shoulder.

"Oh," I chuckled "I almost forgot about that weak spot right here."

I kissed it again, it made her squirm against me. I sunk my teeth into her soft flesh—in just a light nibble. Feeling her against me like that... the warmth from the shower, her bare skin against mine...

There are so many emotions running through my mind. I can't catch a fucking break.

"I trust you." I whispered, before kissing her sweet skin again "Do you know how hard that is for me to say?"

"I trust _you_.." She echoed softly "And I know it is... Kacchan, I know I'm putting on my brave face and all, but I'm... I'm terrified."

I cupped her face in my hands.

"So am I, but—I have you, and you have me, okay? I gave you my heart, you'd better not make me fucking regret it. Don't ever die on me, alright?

"I won't, I promise... if you promise the same."

"Of course."

Her hypnotic eyes drew me into her once again. Our lips met in a warm, deep, kiss.

"God, Rei... I want to make you feel... everything I fucking feel for you. Everything I felt the other day, everything I've felt since we met. The pain, the fucking pleasure... I want you to feel it all."

Rei looked up at me with those eyes that still terrify me in the best damn way. She linked her arms up around my neck. The crinkling sound of the plastic wrap on her hands sort of grounded us both for a second, just before we became completely lost in each other. She pulled herself so close to me, her wet, bare chest touched my own.

"You're gonna make me lose my damn mind, baby..." I hissed into her ear.

"Do it. _Lose_ control." She whispered "Trust yourself enough with me to go

A slew of hot, scrambled kisses ensued. It was as if we were so uncertain of the future, we needed to let out everything that we felt. We were so frantic, like we would run out of time... it was like trying to catch a wisp of smoke in a jar.

I got on my knees.

"Spread your legs... spread your fucking legs..." I demanded

She did as I asked, obediently. I let out a dark chuckle in reply.

"You can't use your hands, so you won't be able to push me away when it gets to be too much, you're just gonna have to take it... and let me devour you."

"Kacch—AH!"

I attacked her heat with my mouth, kissing and savoring her—growling and moaning into her while she squirmed and writhed above me. I pulled her into me more, gently fucking her with my tongue.

"Sit still, dumbass... take it." I growled

"I c-can't..."

She tasted so damn sweet. I could feel her body reacting to me, it was driving me absolutely mad.

"Do you like when I look up at you?" I growled

She could barely look at me, her face was so flushed and her breaths were shallow. Such a gorgeous site...

"Katsuki..." She moaned

"Mm. So fucking beautiful... you light a fire in me that I can't put out..."

I dove right back into her, making slow circles, living for her every cry of my name—losing myself in her.

"I love you so damn much..." I whispered into her

"Ah... I can't take it...its too m-much..." She whimpered "K-Kacchan!"

I ate her until her legs couldn't stop trembling, until I couldn't tell if the water from the shower was dripping down my chin, or if it was her. I savored her every orgasm like it was my last fucking meal...

I held her in my arms after. If you'd tolerate me 6 months ago that I'd ever feel like this about someone, I'd have laughed in your damn face and told you to fuck off.

This is crazy.


	35. 34: Here

"𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚜

𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍

𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚌𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜."

\- 𝚊.𝚎.

34.

* * *

For the next 3 days... it was like Rei fell into this hole—some deep place that she couldn't climb out of. It was still her, but something was different. Her smile, which I'd usually refer to as annoyingly cheery, bordering on creepy, was gone.

_I didn't realize I loved it so damn much until it was nowhere to be found._

She didn't say much anymore either, unless it was in meetings. We started to have daily meetings with everyone just like we'd decided at the hospital. We'd discuss her brother, do field research, work with the police, devise plans. She was focused as hell, constantly contemplating and so determined... but she was distant—retreated into a dark corner of her mind. I think she was really coming to terms with the fact that, if it comes down to it, she was going to kill her brother—it's becoming real for her.

_Estranged or not, that shit is heavy._

But, seeing her carry herself like a hero, seeing her use the things I've taught her–it's intoxicating. She walks and talks with this newfound confidence.

_I'm so goddamn proud of her._

It wasn't until the day before we had our biggest meeting yet—one with the police chief to present our findings—when a little glimmer of the Rei I knew came out.

"Kaaacchan." She sang

I looked up from my laptop.

"Hm?"

She simply stuck her tongue out at me, flicked me off and giggled.

"Tch. Dumbass." I chuckled

It was like... that was her way of telling me she was still her, and that everything would be fine.

* * *

**Rei's Point of View**

I spent an entire day with Hatsume, beefing up my gear. It wasn't a complete redesign or anything, but I wanted to tweak few things.

My gear became, somehow, even more badass than it was originally.

_Hatsume is truly a fucking lifesaver. _

I was unbelievably nervous about the meeting—I half knew what to expect. I know I'd earn disapproving looks from some heroes who still don't fully understand me, but I knew I had the support of Bakugou and my friends. Thats all that mattered, I just needed to focus on that. Plus, Bakugou taught me everything I know about being confident in myself. I could hear his voice echoing in my head:

_"Act like you own the damn place, but don't be cocky about it, alright? Know that you're the best, and let them know that _they_ can't fuck with you without having to say a word. Even if you're doubting yourself, never let it show. Fake it if you have to, dammit. Fake it 'til you believe it."_

* * *

Before I could blink, I was in a conference room full of heroes and detectives. The room was so big, but it felt so small, like the walls were threatening to cave in and crush me. The air seemed to be getting thinner as I struggled to breathe normally. All I wanted to do was to chill the fuck out, but it felt like I was going to die. I wasn't letting it show in my face, but I wasn't far off from a slip up.

_I don't think I can do this..._

At the moment that thought entered my mind, Bakugou placed his hand on my thigh beneath the table, he gave it a light squeeze.

"You're okay, babe. I'm here." He said quietly

_...He knows me so well._

I've kept pretty much to myself lately... its strange, but I don't think it offended him at all. He's told me about so many of the difficult things he's had to do in his life, he's been through hell and back. He understands me, and for that, I'm eternally grateful.

"Thank you." I mouthed

_I'm okay. I'm okay..._

"Lets get started, shall we?" The police chief announced. All the quiet murmurs throughout the room were instantly silenced "Thank you all for being apart of the task force for this case. Today we are here to discuss case number 77136, target and suspect number 001. Villain name: White Lightning. Legal name: Kuroshi Ichiro. 26 years old."

My brother's mugshot popped up on the monitor in the front of the room. The hardened expression on a face so similar to my own... it was haunting, to say the least. For some reason, I started to think about how easily that could've been me—how simply I could've slipped through the cracks and lost myself completely.

"His quirk allows him to manipulate sound, but thus far, we haven't seen him use it." The chief continued "He's only got 2 arrests on file, meaning that for the most part, he has avoided the law up until this point. Both parents are deceased. He has two siblings–brother, Kuroshi Reiji: Whereabouts currently unknown, but not considered to be an active threat. Sister—"

He turned his attention towards me, causing everyone else in the room to do the same fucking thing. So many sets of eyes on me at once made me feel like I was going to vomit.

"—Kuroshi Reiko, who recently earned her provisional hero license. She is an _equal_, and you will all treat her as such. Reiko has worked very hard to get where she is now. She knows more about the target on a personal level than any of us. Please feel free to ask her questions if you have them."

_WHAT?! No! Don't ask me anything._

"Now, I will hand this off to detective Naomasa. Naomasa-san?"

Detective Naomasa is a a tall, slender, tired looking man. The bags under his eyes never seem to go away. He's young—just turned 30. Bakugou says he's always around to assist the heroes in any way that he could. He'd been a huge help these last few days.

He stood slowly and switched places with Chief Tanaka.

"Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here today." He said "Now, I'm eager to share with you that early this morning, we were able to track the target's possible whereabouts."

"You _found_ him?" I blurted out, without thinking.

"We believe so. Bakugou-san, Reiko-chan, your thoughts were correct. Thank you for bringing it to my attention."

We both nodded.

"In the past month, 13 people have gone missing." Naomasa explained "Normally, these disappearances would have gone unsolved, some, unnoticed altogether. The target is abducting people from slums and poorer areas, people with no family to speak of, along with a few drifters."

_So, we were right._

My jaw tightened. I was absolutely enraged. The fact our hunch was being confirmed as the truth made it all the more disgusting. With one mouse-click, the picture on the monitor switched from my brother's mugshot, to 13 photos of different people.

"These are photos of each of the missing persons. Our main objectives at this point are as follows: A, find out what happened to these individuals. B, capture Kuroshi Ichiro and/or his accomplices. Right now, whether he will be at the location when we arrive, is beyond us. But we _do_ know for a fact that, at least, some of his team will be. The brains of his operation, a.k.a. the person conducting the experiments and genetically engineering the human tissue is—"

The picture changed once more. This time, to a photo of a man. He was older, with wiry, unkempt orange and silver hair. His thick, coke-bottle lensed glasses sat perched upon a slightly crooked, beak-like nose. He looked... disgruntled, to say the least.

He had the same empty look in his eyes as Ichiro.

_He's pretty much exactly what you'd think of when you hear the words "mad scientist"._

"Takeuchi Saizo. 44 years old. Quirk: Brain Drain. Some of you may remember him. He was cast out from the Hero community decades ago for performing unethical experiments, and purposely skewing scientific data to support his... less than believable theories. He all but disappeared, he hasn't resurfaced until now—"

"Excuse me, I'm sorry. Explain to me again why we're doing this?" Someone asked in a smug tone "I know some of you believed this girl's sob story, and thats fine, but some of us are still skeptical about this."

_Here we go._

I furrowed my eyebrows. Rock Lock. Ken Takagi.

_Why am I not surprised he's the one with a fucking problem?_


	36. 35: The Raid

I wanted to bite my tongue and stay quiet, but lets not forget who trained me. Bakugou—the king of speaking his mind regardless of the situation.

"Takagi, whether you believe me or not, from the bottom of my heart, I truly don't give a shit—but, you're a hero. Why aren't you trying to be supportive in stopping someone who's actually trying to hurt people? You saw what the hell those droids did, didn't you? Or, did you miss the last few days?"

"Tch. Look, I never said I didn't want to stop him. All I'm saying is: how the hell do we know we can trust you?" He asked "Is everyone just giving you the benefit of the doubt? I mean, guys seriously, how do we know she's not in on this shit? She was literally a villain a couple months ago and this dude is her brother. Nobody finds that shit sketchy?"

_I'm surprised Bakugou hasn't said anyth—_

"IF YOU'VE GOT A FUCKING ISSUE, WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE, ASSHOLE?!" Bakugou shouted "Nobody asked you to be apart of this. Leave before I fucking make you leave."

_Never mind._

"Don't threaten me, Bakugou." He sneered

"I'll threaten whoever the fuck I feel like threatening, you piece of—"

"Do you think she trained her ass off for fun?" Deku piped up "She just got out of the hospital because of what Ichiro caused."

"Exactly. You think I just took the license exam for shits and giggles?" I added sarcastically "You don't know anything about me, and I'm not gonna argue about it because I don't have anything to prove to you. If you have an issue with me, no one is forcing you to be here."

"You can't just sit here and act like you know her after 3 days, Takagi." Kirishima defended "You seriously need to chill out."

I was so caught off guard by the fact that people were coming to my defense. My friends... I have friends. God, I'm lucky.

"Jesus Christ, Bakugou." Takagi chuckled arrogantly "She must be giving it to you pretty good to make you act this damn stupid—and all of your friends followed like little minions? Thats a bit pathetic."

_Fucking prick._

I tried to stop him, but he's too fast—Bakugou lunged across the table at him in a flash, drawing his fist.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

"_ENOUGH_!" The police chief yelled, rising from his seat "I said that you will treat her as an equal. Thats an _order_. Rock Lock—not another word out of you, unless you want out. You're heroes. Stop acting like a bunch of goddamn children."

Bakugou slowly sat back down in his chair. Naomasa cleared his throat before he picked back up.

"If we ascend on the location, and White Lightning isn't there, we can at least arrest Saizo and the others. We can get them to lead us right to him."

"Where is this location you keep mentioning?" I asked

"Ah, I was just getting to that."

The picture changed again... it looked like some kind of broken down warehouse, or maybe an old air hangar? The ocean was in the background, so I couldn't pinpoint where it was located off the top of my head.

"This is near a shipping port Kanagawa. He's been using cloaking devices, or possibly a cloaking quirk, to hide his location. It took a lot to find this. I know what it looks like on the outside, but its whats beneath it. Underground, its a fully functioning facility—completely renovated, top of the line."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Bakugou asked, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"Well, thats why we're here. We've organized how we're going to move out." Naomasa replied "You, Reiko, Deku and Kirishima will be on the frontlines. Understood?"

We nodded.

Then, he looked directly at me, even though he was addressing all of us.

"Your safety is top priority, and, if it can be helped, under no circumstances are you to splinter off and be alone with the target without backup. We do not know what he's capable of, _anything_ is possible. We'll mobilize at 2300 hours. Be ready.

"Hai!"

* * *

**10:58 PM**

Bakugou, Deku, Kiri and I were in position outside of the warehouse, awaiting the signal. We were all given earpieces that we'd use to contact each other. We got inside without much trouble, Denki was able to remotely jam a lot of the signals from the security measures put in place.

The inside was of this place was completely renovated once you got underground, just like Naomasa said.

We moved like a well oiled machine, being as stealthy as possible, taking out as many of these skeezy, low-level henchmen that my brother hired to keep watch.

"Where the hell did he find these motherfuckers?" Bakugou asked, exasperated "Wastes of space."

"He probably didn't have to look too far. My dad had a lot of connections."

"WATCH—!"

I knew what he'd sensed before he tried to warn me. I quickly turned around and punched another one of them as hard as I could in the mouth. I heard one of his teeth hit the ground the second his body did.

"Good punch... I hope that was the last of those assholes."

"Thanks... yeah, I don't see any more."

We both breathed a sigh of relief until we heard a lingering "TEXAS SMAAASH!" in the distance.

"Son of a bitch." Bakugou grumbled "Now I'm starting to get pissed off."

"Me too, but we only have one more floor before we get to the main lab. We have to keep moving. These bastards have slowed us down enough."

Deku and the rest caught up after a few minutes and we moved forward. The police directed us to hault just as we reached the next floor. We came to a set of big, white, double doors at the end of a long corridor.

_Thats it. If I remember the blueprint correctly, that should be the main lab._

"Know your positions, everyone, keep your guard up. Bakugou, you blow the laboratory doors wide open on 3, understood?" Chief Tanaka said

We all nodded.

I felt like a whirlwind of adrenaline and anxiety, not a person. I was bouncing on the balls of my feet as my heart raced with anticipation.

_What the hell are we about to see on the other side of those doors...?_

I glanced over at Bakugou. He had his "I'm ready to kick some villain ass" smirk on.

"You ready?" I asked

"Fuck yeah... Hey, remember what we talked about, okay, extra? I'll protect you no matter what, got that?"

_"1..."_

"And I'll protect you." I replied

"I love you, dumbass."

_"2..."_

"I love you more."

We both faced forward, he rested his hand on the pin of one of his gauntlets

_"3..!"_

Bakugou let out an explosion that shook the ground and blasted the doors to heaps of pieces and ash.

"POLICE! FREEZE! POLICE! NOBODY MOVE!"

_This... this is..._

The laboratory was sprawling—enormous and eerie as hell. There were altogether about 11 or 12 of what I'm assuming are scientists throughout the room. They wore crisp, white lab coats and latex gloves. They'd all panicked from the noise, dropping specimens, glass tubes, and slides to put their hands in the air.

There were also... these cases, glass cases. They stood at about 7 or 8 feet tall. I counted 13 of them. One for each of the missing persons. They were all completely emaciated, their eyes were sunken in and bloodshot... they looked to be on the brink of death.

Everyone sprung into action. One police unit moved to restrain the scientists—staff... whatever they are. The rest of us began the rescue effort. Medics flooded in after us to tend to the victims.

I was on high alert. I was helping everyone else get those in captivity out and safe, each second that passed made me more and more furious. I saw these people up close, held them, saw the wounds on their bodies...

And I kept my eyes peeled.

_Is he here?_

_He has to be. I can feel it._

"Get them out of here, as far as possible. Those droids could show up at any second. GO!" Bakugou barked "Rei...? You good?"

"I-I don't know... wait here."

I ran off towards the back of the lab. I could hear Bakugou calling after me but something... something was telling me that Ichiro wasn't far off. He'd likely be trying to make an escape by now. He's an awful, fowl, human being, but he isn't stupid—I'll give him that. As I ran, I could see that Bakugou was correct. The droids did show up... so many of them. I knew I couldn't stop them, not on my own, but I was perfectly capable of keeping them at bay. A few of the others caught up—Kirishima was first, then Todoroki, Sero, and lastly, Bakugou.

"AGH! DIE YOU BASTARDS!" He howled, as a loud blast detonated beside me. It effectively knocked several of the droids back "_YOU_! YOU THINK YOU'RE JUST GONNA GO RUNNING OFF WITHOUT ME, DUMBASS?!"

"Sorry! I just—GET THE _FUCK_ AWAY FROM ME!"

One of the droid's hands grazed my arm. I harnessed the sound from Bakugou's explosion and created one to blow it backwards.

"These things suck!" Kirishima shouted "There has to be some way to take them down!"

"Thats why I need to find—Hey! _HEY_!"

"What'd you see?!" Bakugou asked

"ICHIRO!"

I caught a glimpse of him through a cracked door in the corner of the room. We made eye contact for a split second before he ran.

"Bastard." I grumbled "Bakugou, come on!"

We burst through the door, and we were thrown into darkness... complete pitch black.

"Shit!"

Bakugou set off a small explosion, illuminating the space briefly to see if I could catch a glimpse of him or our surroundings. It worked.

"There!" Bakugou shouted

We grabbed onto eachother. I let out a loud yell to help blast ourselves in his direction. Ichiro's response was a bright blue bolt of electricity that missed us both.

"Tch. You finally using your quirk in front of people now, asshole? You must be scared." Bakugou hissed

"I'll never be afraid of any damn hero. Don't get cocky." My brother's voice hissed back in the darkness "Why the hell are you even here?"

"Its over, Ichiro. Are you going to surrender?" I asked

"Now, why the hell would I go and do that?"

"Wrong answer."


	37. 36: A Choice

"𝚒𝚏 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎,

𝚗𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚎."

\- 𝙽𝚒𝚔𝚒𝚝𝚊 𝙶𝚒𝚕𝚕

36.

* * *

**Bakugou's Point of View**

Rei took off, leaping forward towards Ichiro. She landed hard on her feet to generate as much sound as possible. I did exactly what I said I would—I supported her in any way that I could. I watched as the room lit up as they threw attack after attack at each other—blue then gold... blue, then gold. Rei was relentless, but her brother wasn't giving up so easily.

_Fucker is actually pretty strong, so I don't understand why he's acted like such a pussy about using his quirk up until now._

"YOU'RE NOT GONNA STAND IN MY FUCKING WAY!" He roared

"Why... why the hell did you have to end up like this?" Rei's voice cracked as she launched another attack

"Fuck you. Who the hell are you to ask that?! Why did you end up a goddamn hero? After everything we've been through, you _still_ don't fucking get it."

"Oh, because what you're doing as a villain is _so_ much better and less destructive?"

He shook his head.

"I'm trying to _fix_ this fucked up society we have, I'm redefining what a hero is. You're all selfish and have your own agendas." He rambled "You're no better than villains, but you sit up on your high fucking horses and get all of this baseless atten—"

"SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH, ASSHOLE. YOU DON'T KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO DO THIS!" I shouted

"And what the fuck gives _you_ the right to decide what the "new" hero is?" Rei asked

"I don't have time for this. For my entire life, you've always been like a thorn in my damn side. You don't even know the truth about everything. Mom just drooled over you, protected you, she thought you were so goddamn brilliant—"

_Truth?_

"Ichiro, I don't know what kind of fucked up bullshit about our childhood you made up in your demented head, but mom _loved_ you and you know it."

"Tch." He sneered "You don't know a goddamn thing. You never have. Number 071."

"What—?"

A pair of green eyes lit up suddenly in the far corner of the room. Two emerald beacons in the darkness. I froze.

_Another droid..._

"Kill them both." He ordered

"REI! GO!" I shouted as I began to hurl explosions in it's direction "GO!"

I was repulsed at how quickly he ordered this thing to kill us... to kill Rei—his own sister. Just like that, like she was nothing.

"KACCHAN—" Rei began

"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY! I'LL HANDLE THIS! GO!"

The worry in her eyes made me want to break the fuck down completely, but it also lit a fire in me. I'll blast a million of these bastards if it means I'll never see that look again.

She nodded reluctantly and took off after Ichiro.

**Rei's Point of View**

I felt sick about leaving Bakugou there alone to fight that thing. I know he can more than handle himself, but still... I'm scared.

_He's got it, Rei. _

_You know he's fucking got it. _

_You have something you came here to do._

_Do it._

The longer I chased after Ichiro, the angrier I became. I started to just see red after a while—throwing attack after attack as we screamed obscenities at eachother. We eventually reached a garage-like structure. It was dimly lit, the smell of wet cement hung heavy in the humid air.

Ichiro let out the most diabolical bout of laughter. It grew from a slow chuckle to a full belly laugh.

"Goodness... you'll have to excuse me, sister... but it just occurred to me—you didn't think that my new heroes were just _here_, did you?"

I couldn't tell what he meant by that, but every hair on my body seemed to stand on end.

"Please, allow me to show you." He added

He held out his phone, onscreen, a live breaking news broadcast was streaming.

"We are getting several reports of similar attacks from these "humanoids" from all across the country... We are advising the public to stay indoors and away from windows at this time. Local heroes are struggling to keep these attacks at bay—"

"Bastard... HOW ARE YOU CONTROLLING THEM?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know." He scoffed

Enraged, I charged at him and decked him in the jaw as hard as I could—so hard he fell backwards. My knuckles began to throb in pain.

"HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU CONTROLLING THEM?!" I shouted again "ANSWER ME!"

He attacked quickly with his electricity, but not quick enough.

"You've always been slow." I hissed

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

We went at each other again to the point where I knew I was probably injured. He'd gotten me pretty good with an intense bolt.

_I need to end this. Soon._

"ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?" He roared "OR ARE YOU TOO DAMN STUPID TO FIGURE IT OUT?"

_Now...! Nows my chance!_

As he was about to go on this self-righteous nightmare of a fucking rant, I hurled myself at him, wrapped my hands around his throat and slammed him into the ground, cracking the concrete beneath him. I could hear others reaching the room, calling out to me, but I couldn't answer them.

What I recognized as Todoroki's ice, formed around Ichiro's arms, binding them to the ground. I glanced back at where the trail lead. They were all standing there. Todoroki gave me a nod.

"Thank you." I mouthed before turning my attention back towards Ichiro

"I'm gonna ask you again." I said through clenched teeth "How the _fuck_ are you controlling these things?"

He was coughing and sputtering as I kept my hands tight around his throat.

"_Answer me_ before I—"

"Before... you... what...?" He choked "Kill...me...?"

I tilted my head.

_I don't think I like his fucking tone._

"You don't think I'll do it, do you?" I asked

"You wouldn't...dare—AHHHHHHH!"

He let out a bloodcurdling scream as I used my quirk to begin to slowly singe the skin of his neck. I could hear and feel the sizzling and popping of his flesh bubbling beneath my palms.

He screeched, writhing in pain. My heart was pounding hard against my chest. I was beginning to lose control a bit—falling into the pitch-black darkness that comes with making someone suffer.

"Ready to crack yet, dickwad?" A familiar voice asked from above, and the heel of an equally familiar black and orange combat boot pressed itself against Ichiro's forehead. It snapped me out of my rage.

_Bakugou...!_

"Its over, so cut the shit." He added, setting off a few palm-sized explosions

"I'll... I'll never fucking... tell you..." Ichiro whispered hoarsely "Never..."

"We can get the information whether you're alive or dead, so it doesn't really matter to us." Bakugou said with a shrug "Plus, I'm sure it'd be Rei's pleasure to rid the earth of damn scum like you."

"Its true. You know, your colleagues aren't exactly the most mentally strong bunch of guys." I taunted "Half of your little fleet of scientists pissed their pants at the mere sight of a gun."

"In other words, they'll be very, _very_ quick to give you up." Bakugou added

"They _wouldn't_ fucking betray me." He hissed

"You're not some kind of God, Ichiro." I reminded him "You're just the son of a second rate villain."

"Shut your fucking mouth."

I leaned down towards his ear, making sure I spoke very clearly.

_I don't want him to miss a thing._

"You know, I came here with the intention of killing you if I had to. Given the position you're in, I would stop talking to me like that." I threatened "The feds would rather I keep you alive so they can get information out of you, but they _also_ said if it came down to it and I happened to kill you in combat, I wouldn't be punished for it. So who's to say I won't have a little accident?"

He gritted his teeth.

"You think you're such a fucking badass, don't you? Now that you're a hero, you think you're better than me? Better than _us_, our family?"

"You're disgusting." I spat "Please don't try to give me some kind of bullshit speech about how important family is when you killed our father and curse our mother. _Don't_. You don't give a shit about any of that and you know it. Don't call me your fucking family."

I glanced over at Bakugou, he reflexively looked back at me.

_My light in the darkness._

His eyes tend to give away exactly how he feels. I could tell he was really struggling to hold himself back and let me handle this.

"So, what are you thinking, Rei?" He asked me quietly

"I'm thinking I want to see the life leave this motherfucker's eyes... but I really don't want these droids to do anymore damage or hurt anymore people."

"Its up to you. Whether you want to kill the bastard or not, he _is_ a valuable source of information at the end of the day." He leaned down, peering into Ichiro's eyes "We can always kill him later."

I could hear the footsteps of what were, no doubt, several officers coming our way.

"Actually... I've had a change of heart." I said

"...What?"


	38. 37: Ground Zero

"𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜

𝚗𝚘 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢."

\- 𝚠. 𝚘. 𝚌.

37.

* * *

**Bakugou's Point of View**

My mind was completely fucking rattled as I tried to decipher what she meant by "a change of heart".

"I want you to live." Rei said to him "I want you to—"

She activated her quirk again, causing Ichiro to wail and screech. He looked like he was close to passing out from the pain.

"—suffer. Live on, rot away in prison... or wherever you end up. Live with the fact that you have nothing and no one to turn to, and live with the fact that its your fault. Tell yourself all the lies you want to about our mother, our childhood, about heroes, villains... whatever you feel justifies the shit you've done."

I saw something in Ichiro's eyes suddenly that I hadn't seen thus far—fear. The arrogance had been wiped right off of his face. He looked absolutely terrified as he looked up at Rei, as those words left her. Her tone was cold and vacant.

I could always tell that, even though she never said it, she somehow hoped her brother would return to his former self—who he was when they were kids. She never thought it would actually happen, but somehow, somewhere in that damn crazy mind of hers; she hoped it would.

Now, that hope is gone.

I can hear it in her voice. She's done.

I could hear the footsteps of the police nearing our location.

"We'll undo whatever the fuck it is you've done. And let me make myself very, very clear. I don't care what happens to you. I'm not your sister, I'm not your friend. You're nothing to me."

"Is the target alive?" I heard the chief shout from behind

"Yes, sir." I replied

I held Rei close as we watched the cops take over from that point.

"...Do you think I did the right thing?" She asked, quietly, leaning into me.

"Honestly, I'm pretty damn surprised. I didn't think you'd be able to hold back like you did, but I do. Let the bastard suffer. Good riddance." I scoffed "... Do you feel like you did the right thing?"

"I think so..."

"Are you gonna be okay?"

"...In time, I'm sure I will be." She sighed "No time to think about it right now—we still have more shit to deal with."

"Right." I groaned "The fucking droids... HALF AND HAL—wait, where is everyone?"

"Situations getting bad fast." Todoroki said as he jogged over "Deku and the others got called away already. Its just me and Kirishima now."

"Nope! Me too now." Kirishima said, turning his attention to his phone.

"Todoroki, are you sure you didn't get called away too?" Rei asked, now fully aware of how incredibly dense he can be at times.

"I didn't. I don't think...? Well..." He looked at his phone, tapping through it for a few seconds "Ah. It seems I did."

"Dumbass." I grumbled

"Before we go anywhere... Rei-chan, are you okay?" Kirishima asked

"Yeah, how are you feeling?" Todoroki added

She half smiled.

"I don't know yet... how about you guys? You're good? Does anyone need anything before we head out?"

"We're alright. Those droids were no match for us!" Kirishima beamed

I pulled my Agency app up, notifications were pouring in. The droids were everywhere, wreaking havoc in multiple cities... not the citizens specifically, but the heroes. Rei peered over my shoulder.

"New age of the hero..." She said quietly "Remember what he said?"

I nodded.

"He wants these things to be the heroes. So, he had them programmed to try and eliminate us... Tch. Bastard. We've gotta get out there."

"What the hell are we waiting for then? Lets go."

* * *

**Rei's Point of View**

Bakugou and I were once again in our natural element, running through the streets, blasting things apart—screaming like wild banshees, all in the name of being heroes, of course.

Fighting alongside him makes me feel the most alive I ever have.

The droids a were tough as hell to beat, they were really giving us all a run for our money. The hardest part was just trying to conserve your own energy so you don't tire out while trying to incapacitate one of them. They're possible to take down, but relentless in their resolve... and they have a major flaw.

They're supposed to target heroes, but it seems that some of them can't distinguish between a hero and a regular human. That alone has made everything ten times fucking harder.

As soon as we'd eradicate one bunch, there would be another one waiting for us. I lost count of how many we'd taken down. It was getting exhausting. Just when I thought the idea of using my quirk again would lay me flat on my ass—there was still one left.

Bakugou shifted his eyes over to me.

"You okay? Think you can take on one more, extra?"

I nodded, even though I knew I was close to my limit.

"Wanna try out our combo move on this last one?" He asked with a wide smirk

My eyes widened. I'd almost forgotten all about that.

"Killblast?!" I asked excitedly

"Murder Blast would've been way damn cooler." He said "You're lucky I let you have that one, extra."

"Shutup." I chuckled "Lets do it."

We moved in sync, completely in tune to each other.

"READY?!" I shouted

"HELL YEAH!"

"DIE!" We shouted in unison as our quirks combined to form the most beautiful and devastating blow in its direction. The droids torso flew one direction, and it's legs, another.

We both let out a sigh of relief.

"I want to take every single one of these droids down myself..." I muttered

"I know you do, but you've gotta trust that the heroes in other areas are handling it."

"I know they are...but—I don't know..."

I just feel... responsible somehow? Its stupid. Its because this is my brother's mess, I feel like I need to personally clean it up.

"Quit feeling guilty, dumbass." Bakugou said, interrupting my train of thought "Be proud of yourself for everything you did today, alright?... Oi, you're bleeding!"

He winced as he held his hand over a gash in my side that caught me off guard. I didn't even realize it'd happened. It ripped right through my gear. It must've happened a while ago, most of the bleeding had subsided.

"So are you." I pointed to the split in his forehead.

"Damn thing headbutted me..." He grumbled "Does it hurt?"

"I'll be fine. I didn't notice it. You?"

He smirked proudly

"Tch. Its gonna take more than some human wannabe full of metal to take me down."

"... So is that a yes?" I laughed

"I'M FINE! SHUTUP!"

We sat down on a nearby curb as Bakugou pulled put his phone.

"Does anyone else need help?" I asked eagerly

"Seems like they've got it under control. Even that damn Deku..." He said "Kiri and half and half already have their areas cleared. So, Silver, what should we do next?"

"Ohhh, we're using hero names now, Ground Zero?" I teased

"HOW DID YOU FIND OUT—"

"I stole your Hero License." I said, pulling it out from my pocket "You gonna tell me why Ground Zero was written over Bakugou in pen?"

"I—YOU—! WHY?!" He was so angry, he couldn't even form the sentence. His eye began twitch in a familiar, hilarious fashion "HOW?!"

I burst into laughter.

I was in complete awe of the fact that even on a day where I thought I might have to kill my own brother, it was possible for me to feel like laughing... all thanks to this short-tempered goofball. Bakugou has this uncanny ability to take my mind off of anything that's bothering me.

Everything else falls away, and its just him and I.

"WHEN AND HOW THE FUCK DID YOU STEAL MY HERO LICENSE!?" He shouted, snatching it out of my hand

"I don't know, maybe a couple days ago? Being a former villain still has its' perks. You should really keep better track of your stuff, Kacchan." I snickered

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Yeah, yeah. So, whats the deal with your name?"

"You are so fucking annoying." He muttered through clenched teeth

"True, but you love me, so you put up with me." I teased "Same goes for you."

His face flushed.

"Sh-Shutup! So what?!"

"Are you gonna tell me what or who Ground Zero is, or no?!" I pressed


	39. 38: The Complicated Hero

"𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎

𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚢.

𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸'𝚖 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞,

𝚒𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜."

\- 𝚟

38.

* * *

"Alright, alright. Damn." Bakugou paused let out a sigh "You get the chance to change your Hero name whenever your license expires. When you go to get it renewed, if you're fine with your name, you keep it. I... I thought of that name after you earned your provisional license. So, I wrote Ground Zero on there because I thought maybe I could..."

"You could...?"

"CHANGE MY DAMN HERO NAME, OKAY!?"

"But why Ground Zero? And what does my provisional license have to do with anything?" I asked, curiously

"You don't get it, dumbass? Ground Zero... Bakushinchi."

"Bakushinchi... The center of an explosion? Thats... that's beautiful."

"Th... thanks. Whatever." He grumbled "Its just that, well, when you got your license I saw that you'd picked the name Silver for yourself... I thought maybe I should choose one for me too."

"Silver and Ground Zero, eh?" I said, unable to hide the grin that snuck its way onto my face "I like it."

"Mhm. Oh, I love you too, by the way. Don't ever say I forgot to say it back, got that, extra?"

"Got it, kid." I replied

"Stop calling me 'kid'." He grumbled

"As soon as you stop calling me 'extra', I will."

We wasted no time leaning into each other for a kiss. It was salty with sweat, yet bitter with the taste of ash... and still so fucking sweet. However, my moment of bliss was cut short by the buzzing of Bakugou's phone.

"Ah, shit." He said, glancing down at it "Looks like Sero and that goddamn pikachu need some help over in Shibuya. You got a few more explosions left in you, babe?"

"Of course." I replied

"Before we go—I'm gonna ask you this a million times today, by the way—are you okay...?"

"My brain hasn't really had time to process anything yet... So, I don't really know." I admitted "Ask me again tonight, if I don't have a complete mental breakdown before then."

* * *

After a long, draining battle, and an even more draining onslaught of meetings and briefings, our day finally came to an end sometime after midnight.

Bakugou and I had stopped to get some curry to take home from a late-night restaurant. On the way out to his car I started feeling lightheaded. It was as if everything I'd been holding in all day, all of the emotions and exhaustion—it hit me all at once. Me being me, I tried to hide it from him... but it was like my head wasn't attached to my body anymore, my legs felt like jelly.

I stumbled, and they almost gave out completely.

Bakugou, never missing a beat as usual, quickly put a protective arm around my waist before I hit the ground, stabilizing me instantly.

"REI! What the hell?! Are you okay?!"

"I..." Was all that came out. I had no idea what I wanted to say, or how to answer that "Sorry..."

"Sorry for what? Whats wrong? What are you feeling?" He asked, the concern in his voice was blatant. I was still getting used to that—hearing someone be genuinely concerned about me.

Isn't that strange?

I took a deep breath.

"I think I'm just tired... I'm okay though." I lied

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked me over suspiciously. My legs threatened to betray me once more, causing his grip to tighten.

"You'd better not be bullshitting." He warned "If something is wrong, tell me now and I can get you to the hosp—"

"I'm fine. This is just a lot of shit to process... I'm sorry for making you worry."

"I know it is. I didn't mean to snap, its...its been a long day and a lot happened. And don't apologize, dumbass. Its my job to worry about you, okay? You sure you're alright?"

I nodded.

He kissed my forehead.

"Let's go home."

* * *

We showered and changed. Then, ate dinner in bed. I couldn't really eat much, I was too overwhelmed... I mostly just picked at my curry, which was a damn shame because it smelled heavenly.

We preoccupied ourselves with mindless chatter at first. We do that after something major—its like we give each other's brains time to digest what happened before we move into conversation about it. In the meantime, we just ramble about nonsense. He gripes about something or other, and I tell him why he shouldn't be griping.

Then... theres a heavy silence right before he brings up what we've been avoiding.

"So, talk to me." He said "Whats going on in that damn mind of yours? You barely ate."

"So much... I don't even know where to start."

"Just tell me anything."

I paused for a moment to organize my thoughts.

"I don't understand how Ichiro had enough pull to find and hire all of those people. Theres just no fucking way." I said, finally.

"I was thinking that too. The villain community isn't fond of traitors."

"They definitely aren't. Hence, why I probably have a bounty on my head."

"Exactly—and he murdered his own father. They can't be okay with that. Yet, somehow he still had connections for a plot that size?" He questioned

"I don't get it. It makes absolutely no sense."

I was wracking my brain trying to think of who could've helped him out.

Maybe it was someone who had it out for my dad?

I mean, he had enemies in the villain community, but none of the ones I could think of were that big of a threat.

"No one comes to mind?" He asked

"Not really. I could think of people who would have helped him... if he hadn't killed our dad."

"...Well, in that case, I guess there is a plus side to you not killing the bastard."

He showed off a cunning smirk. I knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Bakugou, we're not—"

"We could go talk to him." He interrupted

"No." I snapped "Hell no."

He shot me an intense look—not that Bakugou really has any other looks, this one was just... particularly jarring.

"How the hell else do you expect to find out who he's working with, Rei? I know you don't want to—skinny motherfucker makes me want rip his throat out too—but we can't risk any more outbreaks like today." He explained "Its too dangerous. If someone is still out fucking around with those droids, if there are more... we need to know about it. Fast."

_I know he's right._

I looked away from him, out at the familiar, yet still mesmerizing view from his windows.

"I know. I fucking know... this is just so shitty." I said quietly "Why can't things just go right for once?"

"Look, I'll be the first one to admit that its going to suck ass. But, as a hero, this isn't gonna be the last hard conversation you have. If you want, I can do most of the talking."

I glanced at him.

"No, you shouldn't." I sighed

"WHAT?! WHY NOT?"

"Look at yourself. You're already so angry your hands are literally smoking." I pointed out

He looked down at his palms and quickly put them out.

"I could still do it." He grumbled "IF HE TRIES ANYTHING I'LL JUST BLAST THAT ASSHOLE ALL THE WAY TO—"

"I wish you could do it for me, Kacchan. I do, but... he'll probably only talk to me anyways."

I took one of his pillows and stuffed my face into it. The more I sat with it, the more I realized I didn't even think I was afraid to talk to Ichiro... I think I was afraid of what he'd tell me.

"I've just got a really bad fucking feeling about this." I said

I don't know if I want to know the answer to this question.

"Come here." Bakugou said

He pulled me into his strong arms, holding me tight as I reveled in his warmth and sweet scent. I wanted nothing more than to drown in him and forget about all of this shit. My stomach felt like it was tied in knots—intestines all twisted up and wrapped around eachother. All of the emotions I was holding in my body were really taking a toll.

"Kacchan..." I began "What's the hardest conversation you've had to have since you became a hero?"

I felt the steady rise and fall of his chest as he took a deep breath.

"Tch. I've had more tough conversations than I can count..." He replied quietly "I've had to tell countless citizens that their loved ones didn't make it out alive. I've had to tell my parents that, because I chose the path of being a hero—no matter how much I say I'll never lose—there may come a day when I might. I never thought I'd have to prepare them for something like that."

"Kacchan..."

"You think the damn conversations would get easier the more often you have them, but they never do. They... can really fuck you up, you know? Thats part of the reality of choosing the hero life, though. Sometimes you've gotta be the one who says the shit that no one else wants to say." He explained

I gazed up at him, hanging on his every word. I wasn't surprised at the fact that there are aspects of being a hero that are uncomfortable—its not all puppies and rainbows.

Its complicated and downright confusing most of the time, actually. Much like being a villain was. Just in different ways. Even though I did, I wasn't really required to think about how my actions effected anyone as a villain.

Now, it's practically all I think about.

"...DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!" He shouted, blush tinging his cheeks "Dammit... you're always making me say the most embarrassing things."

"Stop. fucking. yelling." I said "...but, thanks for sharing that with me. I mean it."

God, if we're going to go talk to Ichiro, I wish we could just get it over with right now. That way, I won't go into full panic mode and not be able to sleep.

Bakugou planted a sweet kiss on my lips before letting another irritated sigh escape him.

"Go ahead and say it, dumbass."

"Say what?"

"I know you're gonna say 'lets just go now and get it over with'."

How did he..?

I grinned.

"Awww, you know me so well." I teased "My little explosion boy."

"SHUT IT!"

I hopped up and threw on a pair of sweats.

"Lets go." I said "I need to do this while I'm hyped up about it."

"Uuuugh..." He groaned "Tired."

"No, Kacchan. Now. You're the one who brought it up!"

He grumbled quietly to himself for the whole time before we left.


End file.
